📍 Malvina CPC – 309, chemin de Malvina, Saint-Malo (Québec)
🗓️ Accessible during summer event weekends (free entry)
Discover the Forgotten Village That Shaped Saint-Malo
Malvina in the Old Days is a permanent outdoor heritage exhibition presented by Van Grimde Corps Secrets at Malvina CPC (Creation and Presentation Center). This immersive historical walking tour invites visitors to rediscover the roots of Saint-Malo, Quebec, through a series of interpretive panels, vintage photographs, and audio excerpts installed across the site of the former village of Malvina.
Created from archival materials, family photographs, and exclusive interviews, the exhibition highlights the everyday lives, places, and people who once shaped this unique settlement — now reclaimed by nature.
A Place of Memory and Transformation
Named after Malvina Roy, the first schoolteacher to arrive from Manchester, the village of Malvina emerged in the late 19th century in a remote corner of Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Settlers faced isolation and hardship, but through their determination, the village came to life — with a general store, post office, flour mill, and cheese factory serving the small, resilient population.
As you follow the path, you’ll explore the key sites of Malvina’s past:
– Where houses once stood, now overtaken by forest
– Stories of women who defied convention (featured in A Woman’s Life panel series)
– Archival insights into rural commerce, education, and early industry
– Rare photos capturing the village around 1908
The exhibition is built on the land itself — turning the disappeared village into a museum without walls.
Multimedia Content to Deepen the Experience
In addition to the interpretive panels on-site, the Malvina in the Old Days project features a rich array of digital content, available online or through your phone during your visit:
🎧 Podcasts & Oral Histories – Hear directly from local descendants and storytellers who share anecdotes and memories of Malvina.
🖼️ Archival Photo Gallery – Vintage images from the early 1900s, curated with care.
📜 Educational Texts – Historical background contextualized by our research team, accessible for all ages.
🔗 Explore more content from Malvina in the Old Days exhibit
Walk Through the Layers of Time
This open-air cultural heritage trail is part of a broader mission at Malvina CPC to explore the intersections of memory, territory, and artistic creation. While the buildings have vanished, the spirit of the village lives on — and continues to inspire new forms of storytelling and public history.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a local resident, or a visitor curious about the roots of Saint-Malo, this exhibition offers a moving, poetic window into Quebec’s rural past.
📍 Location:
Malvina CPC (Creation and Presentation Center)
309, chemin de Malvina, Saint-Malo (Québec)
🗓️ When to visit:
The path and exhibition panels are accessible on weekends during the summer programming season, and during special events.
🎟️ Free access – no reservation required
Photo of the village of Malvina around 1908.
