Kempffer House

In 1836 Sarah Astles Flowers gave a piece of land to her granddaughter Sarah Jane Langler. She married Robert Henry Kempffer and her land became his. In 1868 the Kempffer’s built their house, that was to become in 2008, the Kempffer Cultural and Interpretation Centre. Through time, the building passed into the hands of different owners and housed a store, then an office for the lawyer Paul-Emile Cote, deputy of Bonaventure. In 1944, it became the headquarters of the Bonaventure and Gaspé Telephone company. Subsequently, the house is transformed into apartments and in 2002 due to its poor condition the house was on the verge of being demolished which prompted concerned citizens to form the committee for the preservation of historical buildings. A restoration of the Kempffer House was undertaken in 2004 by Heritage New Carlisle, a non-profit organization run by volunteers.

Today, the ground floor of the Kempffer Cultural and Interpretation Centre houses a reception area for tourists and temporary exhibition space, along with a kitchen and administrative office. The second floor includes a permanent exhibit.

The collections of the Kempffer Cultural Interpretation Centre have been developed thanks to the donation of artifacts by citizens of New Carlisle. These collections include photographs and objects of local cultural and historical significance that have been either carefully preserved in storage or included in the permanent exhibition.

In addition to its permanent exhibition, the Kempffer Centre holds temporary exhibitions, manages a collection of artifacts, and organizes cultural activities. Heritage New Carlisle also hosts local art shows, conferences on local history, and workshops, rents out quadicycles and offers outdoor heritage tours, among other things, at the Kempffer Centre.