Articles

It's rare that a golf course attracts visitors just for the view. Dufferin Heights Country Club, at 1500 feet (457 metres), is one such course. Indeed, Dufferin Heights is considered one of the most beautiful golf courses "found anywhere,"(1) and one of the jewels of the Eastern Townships.

Nature attracts thousands of people to the Townships every year. And an increasing number of groups are putting their efforts into making sure some of that pristine nature remains intact.

The people of Potton certainly remember Potton Springs, named after the three little sulphur springs that made the place famous for over a hundred years. According to legend, Nathan Banfill, age 14, discovered the springs while out working in a field at the base of Pevee Mountain.

The Eastern Townships are renowned both for their scenic beauty and for their picturesque, historic villages.

Today, former railway beds in many parts of the Eastern Townships are being converted to a new use: cycling and walking trails. The rails to trails movement has created a whole new natural, tourist, and recreational attraction in the region.

EVERY SECOND CROSSROAD The Eastern Townships were once dotted with rural schoolhouses. One has only to look at early maps of the area to see that virtually every neighbourhood had one. The typical one-room schoolhouse could be found every mile or two, or at nearly every second crossroad.

The Victorians were famous for their eclectic architecture. Fashion changed dramatically throughout the period (1837-1901), which saw the adoption, one after another, of a succession of architectural styles from earlier periods in European history.

Most of the oldest villages in the Eastern Townships owe their start to the presence of a mill. Sherbrooke (Hyatt's Mills), Cowansville (Ruiter's Mills), and Rock Island (Kilborn's Mills) are a few that come to mind.

Round barns were at one time scattered all across the southern part of the Eastern Townships. In fact, in Quebec, they were almost totally confined to this region. Unfortunately there are only a handful left. Dating in most cases to the early 20th century, they represent an important part of our architectural heritage.

Visitors to the Eastern Townships are often struck by the number of churches they find. Indeed, it is not uncommon to find three or four, even five churches, of different denominations within close proximity to one another in a single village. In some cases, such as in Way's Mills, they stare at one another from opposite sides of the street.

The Eastern Townships are known for the countless little cemeteries that dot the landscape in most parts of the region. The traveler of back roads will discover these burial grounds in virtually every hamlet, at deserted crossroads seemingly in the middle of nowhere, in farmers' fields, and on hilltops.

There are twenty-one authentic covered bridges remaining in the Eastern Townships. To that total may be added two semi-authentic recreations of recent vintage. A century ago, there were hundreds of covered bridges all across the region. Most villages had at least one; some had several. They dotted the back roads as well, crossing brooks and rivers of all sizes.

Vestiges of our past disappear all the time. Or they are altered beyond recognition. Countless historic landmarks have vanished from the Eastern Townships over the years. Particularly susceptible is our architectural heritage.

What is heritage? Webster's defines it as "property that is or can be inherited; something handed down from one's ancestors or the past; a characteristic, culture, or tradition." In its broadest sense, it would seem that heritage can include virtually everything we receive from our predecessors -- even those things that we consider as bad or negative.

Genealogy, or the study of one's family lineage, is a hugely popular pastime in North America. In the Eastern Townships, numerous local and regional institutions provide service to people researching their family trees.

Way’s Mills may be a remarkably healthy locality but as years go by, the early settlers of Way’s Mills are advancing in age, and by 1875 some of our founders have passed away. For example, Jacob Clifford, Daniel Way’s contemporary, has died in 1871. Death sometimes claims the young as well.

On December 26th, 1871, Daniel Way appears with wife Keziah before the notary public and sells to son Lorenzo almost all the land he owns by the Niger River, including the family dwelling, for twelve hundred dollars. On the same day Daniel sells to his other son Asa the remainder of the land for eight hundred dollars. In addition, Asa and Lorenzo each get an undivided half of the the woolen mill and the machinery used for carding wool and dressing cloth.

Having paid tribute to the Hollister and Truell families, let’s go back to Way’s Mills in the 1860s. A post route from Barnston to Way’s Mills is established on July 1st, 1863. Ebenezer Southmayd Senior, the Ways’ neighbour, is Way’s Mills first postmaster.

One of the earliest settlers of Way’s Mills, Harry Hollister, owned over 100 acres in the Fifth Range on which he operated a grist mill and a saw mill. He died in 1857 (see Part 8, 10 and 11). The following year, his widow Mary Ann Yemans sold the farm and the mills to Valorous Truell for 100$ on condition that (the following is an extract from the 1858 deed of sale):

By the 1850s, residents in the Coaticook area, including Barsnton are fighting with Stanstead over the location of the Railroad running from Portland, Maine, into Canada. Daniel Way and Harry Hollister, are shareholders of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (2 shares each!). Coaticook is chosen and the region develops quickly as a result of the economic boom that follows. Way’s Carding Works, as Daniel’s mill is then called, is prospering.