Halloween at Pointe-à-Callière! Activities to enjoy with family or friends

This Halloween, Pointe-à-Callière sets the backdrop for terrifying tales…

On October 22-23 and 29-30, young and old alike can attend a performance featuring a mysterious lamplighter, based on the legend of McTavish who, it is said, made a pact with the devil.

On October 28, explore the history of the two oldest cemeteries in Montréal with archaeologist Louise Pothier and historian Anna Sheftel.

A show of fantastic tales and legends for the whole family

For children 8 and older

On Halloween night in 1856, a lamplighter works up the courage to venture out to Simon McTavish’s mausoleum on Mount Royal. Legend has it that McTavish once made a deal with the devil in order to build his great mansion on the mountain. But no pact with the Beast is worth signing. Today, McTavish’s ghost is rumoured to haunt the Museum’s collector sewer…

Come meet the lamplighter in person, as he tells the mysterious tale of McTavish.

Saturdays and Sundays
October 22, 23, 29 and 30

Shows schedule :
• 1 pm (in french)
• 2 pm (in french)
• 3 pm (in english)

Activity included in the price of admission to the Museum

• Sunday, October 30, the 1 pm show is exclusively for Members of the Museum

Explore the history of the two oldest cemeteries in Montréal!

For Halloween, Pointe-à-Callière is inviting you to delve into the history of Montréal’s first Catholic cemetery and the Back River Jewish cemetery.

The ways in which the dead are buried and commemorated says a lot about the living. Studying cemeteries tells us about the ways in which communities organize themselves, coexist, and evolve. As places of remembrance, they are silent witnesses to that which we wish to leave behind for future generations.

Listen as archaeologist Louise Pothier reveals the secrets of Montréal’s first Catholic cemetery, discovered in 1989 during digs at the site of Pointe-à-Callière. Established in 1643 following the death of three Montréalistes, it contains 38 graves, 12 of which belong to Indigenous individuals of the Anishinaabe and Wendat nations. Research on this cemetery, whose remains can be seen at the Museum, has led to a better understanding of the relationship between the French and Indigenous peoples in the early days of the colony, as well as confirming the identity of the people buried there.

Next, we make our way to Ahuntsic with historian Anna Sheftel to explore one of the oldest—and yet not very well-known—Jewish cemeteries in Canada, the Back River cemetery. How did a Jewish cemetery come to be in a predominantly French-Canadian neighbourhood? What does it tell us about the arrival of Jewish immigrants in Montréal and their settlement in the city? What does it say about the district’s urban development, the challenges of integration and coexistence among immigrant and host communities?

Speakers:

Louise Pothier, Curator and Chief Archaeologist at Pointe-à-Callière
Anna Sheftel, historian and Director of the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University.

Friday, October 28 at 7 pm

Multimedia Room

Price
Regular: $7
Members: $4

In French

Pointe-à-Callière – Montréal Archaeology and History Complex

Designated a National Historic Site, Pointe-à-Callière is a spectacular museum built atop an authentic archaeological site located at Montréal’s birthplace. Enjoy a multimedia show projected above the ruins and take part in a captivating underground archaeological tour. Also, thanks to international exhibitions and cultural activities, you can make great discoveries all year long.

Main location
350, place Royale, Montréal

Mariners House
165, place d'Youville, Montréal

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