New Group Programs
Groups of 8 to 10 are invited to step back almost 300 years into life in the 1730s through two new themed experiences.
Choose from:
Fish Tales & Tall Ships; and/or That's Life! in the 1730s;
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Groups of 8 to 10 are invited to step back almost 300 years into life in the 1730s through two new themed experiences.
Choose from:
Fish Tales & Tall Ships; and/or That's Life! in the 1730s;
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Roma's summer program offering guided tours and costumed interpreters will begin again in the summer of 2009 ... check back for dates and times
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Feel free to wonder the Roma Site and browse the signage explaining the historical significance of the Jean Pierre Roma era (1732-1745) and the Macdonald era of the 1800s.
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"We'll be back" say the visitors to Roma ...
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Roma at Three Rivers is highlighted under "Things To Do", History and Culture ... Points East Costal Drive
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Feel free to wonder the Roma Site and browse the signage explaining the historical significance of the Jean Pierre Roma era (1732-1745) and the Macdonald era of the 1800s.
q
"We'll be back" say the visitors to Roma ...
q
Roma at Three Rivers is highlighted under "Things To Do", History and Culture ... Points East Costal Drive
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Roma at Three Rivers can be rented for weddings, birthday parties, group gatherings, family reunions, meetings, ...
contact us at: 902 838 3413 or email: ROMA1732@GMAIL.COM
contact us at: 902 838 3413 or email: ROMA1732@GMAIL.COM
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Guided interpretation has concluded for 2009 but feel free to visit and enjoy the Site this fall!
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9 km of historic walking trails open year round.
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9 km of historic walking trails open year round.
Sundays at Roma ... 2 p.m.
Chocolate - 'Food of the Gods' …
September 13 2:00 p.m.
September 13 2:00 p.m.
Cultivated by slaves, consumed by the elite, paid as a tribute to conquerors: chocolate - 'the food of the Gods' - has had a long and eventful history. Chocolate's scientific name, 'Theobroma Cacao' means just that 'Food of the Gods'. The word 'cacao' is Mayan. In Roma's time it was an expensive luxury reserved for the upper class. Roma brought it from France along with wine, cheese and spices. Just like today! Joan Saunders will explain the different tastes of chocolate, and why today, it is in the top 15 most-eaten foods on the whole planet!
Admission:
$10.00 adults; Children age 6-12 $5.00; under age 5, free.
$10.00 adults; Children age 6-12 $5.00; under age 5, free.
How to get here: From Highway #4 travelling between Pooles Corner and Montague, turn on the Rte. 319 loop. Off Rte. 319, take Roma Pt. Road and Roma at Three Rivers is #78 at the end of Brudenell Point.
Three Rivers Roma Inc. is a Canadian registered tax-deductible non-profit charitable corporation.
Event funded by Community Cultural Partnership Program
Event funded by Community Cultural Partnership Program
Spring at Roma - Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.
Learn the history of the land from the flowers and trees….Come to understand why forests regenerate….Smell the flowers and photograph the Lady Slipper…..Hear the lecture…..and take a hike to visit the layers of the forest…..all interpreted by Thane LeLacheur.
The dense Acadian forest on this point was cleared in the 1730s for gardens and to keep the mosquitoes, mice and wild cats at bay. Burned out in 1745, and farmed in the 1800s, the forest regenerated again. Following an enriching presentation in the pavilion about the layers of the forest, enjoy fresh air and nature on a walk in the woods. This is not a park land, but life and beauty abound with many species of flowers, trees and animals.
Hidden Treasures...Dig it! - Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.
Hidden treasures captures the imagination. The archaeologists at the Roma digs in '68, '69 and '70 knew the trash pit would yield some of the best finds. And they did! Over 7000 artifacts were collected from this site and they tell the story of a society in the 1700s that used fine porcelain from China, coffee from Turkey and smoked tobacco in clay pipes. While coffee and chocolate were the preferred hot beverages, wine and rum were the beverages of choice. Tea was too expensive. Richard Forsythe will interpret the artifacts and tell us about a brief period in time when Île St. Jean belonged to France.
Up with the Birds… Sunday, August 9 at 2:00 p.m.
On the wild side - explore the birds of Prince Edward Island. Learn about the birds which frequent the beaches, bogs, rivers, grassland and coniferous forests of eastern P.E.I. …. Dwain Oakley will introduce you to bird identification by habitat, sight and sound. Explore the trails after the presentation.
Learn the history of the land from the flowers and trees….Come to understand why forests regenerate….Smell the flowers and photograph the Lady Slipper…..Hear the lecture…..and take a hike to visit the layers of the forest…..all interpreted by Thane LeLacheur.
The dense Acadian forest on this point was cleared in the 1730s for gardens and to keep the mosquitoes, mice and wild cats at bay. Burned out in 1745, and farmed in the 1800s, the forest regenerated again. Following an enriching presentation in the pavilion about the layers of the forest, enjoy fresh air and nature on a walk in the woods. This is not a park land, but life and beauty abound with many species of flowers, trees and animals.
Hidden Treasures...Dig it! - Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.
Hidden treasures captures the imagination. The archaeologists at the Roma digs in '68, '69 and '70 knew the trash pit would yield some of the best finds. And they did! Over 7000 artifacts were collected from this site and they tell the story of a society in the 1700s that used fine porcelain from China, coffee from Turkey and smoked tobacco in clay pipes. While coffee and chocolate were the preferred hot beverages, wine and rum were the beverages of choice. Tea was too expensive. Richard Forsythe will interpret the artifacts and tell us about a brief period in time when Île St. Jean belonged to France.
Up with the Birds… Sunday, August 9 at 2:00 p.m.
On the wild side - explore the birds of Prince Edward Island. Learn about the birds which frequent the beaches, bogs, rivers, grassland and coniferous forests of eastern P.E.I. …. Dwain Oakley will introduce you to bird identification by habitat, sight and sound. Explore the trails after the presentation.
The site presents guides in period clothing for interpretation of the French heritage garden, the artifacts, children's toys & games and to explain Jean Pierre Roma's significance to PEI history.
The site has beautiful picnic areas and a unique timber frame barbeque shelter with a large outdoor clay oven. The Roma site also provides prebooked Heritage Meals such as the Roma Feast held annually.
Because Jean Pierre Roma built many of the Island's first roads, it is said ... "All roads lead to Roma"!
Jean Pierre Roma at Three Rivers
one of Canada's earliest designated National Historic Sites
one of Canada's earliest designated National Historic Sites
This historic site brings to life the story of Jean Pierre Roma, the French merchant who in 1732 established an international trading post at Trois Rivières. Today Roma's time is given life through lively and interactive events such as Les Petites Fêtes and noon time meals.
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The history buff who wants to explore independently can follow the 9 km of forested trails along the Brudenell and Montague Rivers complete with interpretive signs along the 1 km-long Heritage Trail portion. As well artifacts from the time of Roma (1732 to 1745) unearthed in 1970 are on display in the Heritage building adjacent to the Pavilion where many of the Roma events are held.
Roma at Three Rivers a hidden gem
A fascinating piece of P.E.I. history is tucked away on beautiful land in Brudenell
A fascinating piece of P.E.I. history is tucked away on beautiful land in Brudenell
One of the things I love most about my job is discovering the hidden little gems in this crescent-shaped crown we call the Island - the gentle coastal path that leads you to the most spectacular of seascapes or the quiet country road that guides you through the most luxurious of landscapes.
Village baker Katrine Poiroult (Kathleen Knox) pulls out a beautifully baked loaf from her brick oven at the Roma at Three Rivers, National Historic Site in Brudenell.
And the fun part is you never know when you'll stumble along the next small jewel. And just last week, while on an afternoon adventure, I was fortunate enough to spot another sparkler.
I had arranged to meet with my now famous female relatives on one of their weekly Thursday walks. The "Hard Core Hikers" as they have taken to calling themselves, (would you believe they are considering having T-shirts made) consisted of my aunts Kathleen and Carol Ann, my cousins Pat and Christine and my mum, Bea.
The girls had pounded the pavement in Panmure Island for two hours that morning before heading to Windows on the Water in Montague for lunch. I met them there and we all enjoyed a sumptuous feast.
After a delicious meal, we set out to explore the Roma site at Three Rivers, in Brudenell, one of the National Historic Sites of Canada.
Roma at Three Rivers is the re-creation of a French settlement established in 1732 by Jean Pierre Roma, a wealthy businessman from France. Roma began the first successful commercial enterprise on Ile St. Jean, now Prince Edward Island, and left a legacy that is still felt today.
The site consists of replicas of the original settlement, thoughtfully re-constructed in French colonial style. The Roma site is a wonderful piece of Island history. It was built several years ago and has been quietly developing ever since. Since it was a first-time visit for all of us, we didn't quite know what to expect. But within moments, we find ourselves captivated by the beauty of the setting and the characters that call it " home."
As we approach the largest building in the park, overlooking the manicured gardens, we see a young couple dressed in the costume of the day, standing outside in the sun. When we ask if there is an entrance fee, we find out that it is free of charge, but donations are gladly accepted. The young woman, who is playing the role of a French girl named Clemence, offers to show us around and explain some of the historical significance of the settlement. She gives us a guided tour and educates us on many of the trials and tribulations the settlers faced while living in P.E.I. in the 1800s. She also clues us in to the fact that many of the nearly 200 residents of this Roma settlement are not very happy, in fact, they are downright dejected.
And they have good reason to be as we soon find out. The sad truth is, the residents of Roma at Three Rivers, are little more than indentured servants to Monsieur Roma. A hard-driving task master who is more concerned with making money than with keeping his residents content, he inspires little loyalty or love.
And each of the characters at the modern day Roma site has a story to tell, even the lovely Clemence who, as it turns out, has been sold by her father in France to Jean Pierre Roma as a house servant. But the arrangement has not gone well.
We meet the village baker, Katrine Poiroult, working near her big, brick oven. Katrine generously shares her fine bread and molasses with us and regales us with stories about life at the settlement, all the while knitting woolen socks for her family to wear in the coming winter.
We walk to the water's edge with Etienne, the young man who works as a farm hand but ultimately hopes to have his own plot of land one day. If only Monsieur Roma would pay him fairly for his work.
As the character share their story, they make this small settlement come alive with history. And when we find out about the wonderful daily lunches served here, the special historical talks given and the plethora of "petite fetes" held throughout the summer, it is clear to see that there is something for everyone to engage in and enjoy.
This is one hidden gem I am delighted to have found.
Sarah Keaveny Vos is a freelance journalist and stay-at-home mum of three. Her life is too busy to be logically making these day trips, which is precisely why she needs to make them. If you have any ideas for fun outings to take on the Island, contact
I had arranged to meet with my now famous female relatives on one of their weekly Thursday walks. The "Hard Core Hikers" as they have taken to calling themselves, (would you believe they are considering having T-shirts made) consisted of my aunts Kathleen and Carol Ann, my cousins Pat and Christine and my mum, Bea.
The girls had pounded the pavement in Panmure Island for two hours that morning before heading to Windows on the Water in Montague for lunch. I met them there and we all enjoyed a sumptuous feast.
After a delicious meal, we set out to explore the Roma site at Three Rivers, in Brudenell, one of the National Historic Sites of Canada.
Roma at Three Rivers is the re-creation of a French settlement established in 1732 by Jean Pierre Roma, a wealthy businessman from France. Roma began the first successful commercial enterprise on Ile St. Jean, now Prince Edward Island, and left a legacy that is still felt today.
The site consists of replicas of the original settlement, thoughtfully re-constructed in French colonial style. The Roma site is a wonderful piece of Island history. It was built several years ago and has been quietly developing ever since. Since it was a first-time visit for all of us, we didn't quite know what to expect. But within moments, we find ourselves captivated by the beauty of the setting and the characters that call it " home."
As we approach the largest building in the park, overlooking the manicured gardens, we see a young couple dressed in the costume of the day, standing outside in the sun. When we ask if there is an entrance fee, we find out that it is free of charge, but donations are gladly accepted. The young woman, who is playing the role of a French girl named Clemence, offers to show us around and explain some of the historical significance of the settlement. She gives us a guided tour and educates us on many of the trials and tribulations the settlers faced while living in P.E.I. in the 1800s. She also clues us in to the fact that many of the nearly 200 residents of this Roma settlement are not very happy, in fact, they are downright dejected.
And they have good reason to be as we soon find out. The sad truth is, the residents of Roma at Three Rivers, are little more than indentured servants to Monsieur Roma. A hard-driving task master who is more concerned with making money than with keeping his residents content, he inspires little loyalty or love.
And each of the characters at the modern day Roma site has a story to tell, even the lovely Clemence who, as it turns out, has been sold by her father in France to Jean Pierre Roma as a house servant. But the arrangement has not gone well.
We meet the village baker, Katrine Poiroult, working near her big, brick oven. Katrine generously shares her fine bread and molasses with us and regales us with stories about life at the settlement, all the while knitting woolen socks for her family to wear in the coming winter.
We walk to the water's edge with Etienne, the young man who works as a farm hand but ultimately hopes to have his own plot of land one day. If only Monsieur Roma would pay him fairly for his work.
As the character share their story, they make this small settlement come alive with history. And when we find out about the wonderful daily lunches served here, the special historical talks given and the plethora of "petite fetes" held throughout the summer, it is clear to see that there is something for everyone to engage in and enjoy.
This is one hidden gem I am delighted to have found.
Sarah Keaveny Vos is a freelance journalist and stay-at-home mum of three. Her life is too busy to be logically making these day trips, which is precisely why she needs to make them. If you have any ideas for fun outings to take on the Island, contact
This Roma article appeared in the August 1, 2009 edition of The Guardian, Charlottetown ... written by Sarah Keaveny Vos
... join Chef Michael Smith & Jean Pierre Roma
for an evening of:
for an evening of:
GOOD TIMES
GOOD CHEER
GOOD FOOD
&
6:00 pm
September 26
