Old Market (1877)

The Saint-Hyacinthe Farmers’ Market,

The heart of the 19th century urban life

We are in Saint-Hyacinthe in the second half of the 19th century. The market place and the streets around are filled with activities. City and country meet. Summer or winter, butchers, vegetable producers, seed, animal, honey, pastries, and butter and egg producers offer their products to the urban population. Six days per week, lots of people go to the farmers market, the only source of fresh products. Workers, artisans, home employees, hotel owners, clerks and housewives walk up and down between the stands and carriages. The atmosphere is noisy and the odors powerful. People talk to each other, they ask about latest news. At the market’s second floor, they prepare the décor for tonight’s play. People come in and out of the stores and offices around the market place. The market is the place for commerce, but it is also the place for trade and socialization. It is the heart of the 19th century urban life.

The Saint-Hyacinthe market, at the heart of 19th-century urban life: We are in Saint-Hyacinthe in the last half of the 19th century. The market and the streets around it buzz with activity. Town and country meet here. Summer and winter alike, butchers, market gardeners, and merchants of grain, livestock, honey, pastries, butter, and eggs offer their goods to the townspeople. Six days a week, people flock to the market, the only source of fresh goods. Working women, artisans, domestic servants, innkeepers, clerks, and housewives come and go between the stalls and the carts. The atmosphere is noisy, the smells strong. People call out to one another, catching up on the latest news. On the market’s second floor, the sets are being prepared for this evening’s play. People go in and out of the shops and offices around the square. The market is a place of commerce, but also a place of exchange, of socializing. It is the heart of urban life of the time.(Excerpt from an article by Martine Boucher, 2002)... Even today the market remains at the heart of the economic life of the city of Saint-Hyacinthe, where it’s a pleasure to shop at the pastry shop, the chocolate shop, the fish market, the sausage maker, the butcher, the fruit stand and the cheese shop... It’s a place to see and to make a priority, especially for preparing a fine meal with family and friends... This is my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE...!!! Y.M.