Long before the arrival of the telephone, the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame (CND) used the foghorn as a method of communication among themselves.
From both sides of the arm of the St. Lawrence River, they signaled their need for a small boat or a large boat by calling “small craft” or “large craft.”
It was not so long ago that the farming sisters of the CND regularly crossed the river that separated their farms situated in Pointe-Saint-Charles and on Île Saint-Paul (Nuns’ Island).
The 149 cm long foghorn was still being used up until the 1950’s. It is now part of the museum’s collection. You can see it and even hear it during the guided tour of the Maison.