The first commercial ferry on Lake Memphremagog, and certainly one of the first in the Eastern Townships, was Moses Copp's ferry, in the aptly-named village of Copp's Ferry (later Georgeville). About 1797, shortly after his arrival in the area, Copp built a scow, which operated by manpower (oars) between the east and west sides of the lake.
In 1829, Copp's son Joshua and a few partners began running a horse boat which they named "Ho-Boy." They ferried passengers, livestock, freight, and probably carriages across the lake. A pair of horses were attached to a mechanism which turned a paddle wheel, which powered the boat. The horse ferry, which landed at Potton Landing (later Knowlton's Landing), was an important connection for stagecoaches travelling between Stanstead, Georgeville, and Montreal.