Depuis les premiers jours du Brae Manor Playhouse de style grange jusqu'au bâtiment actuel du Théâtre Lac Brome à l'arrière du pub local, en ce siècle, le théâtre à Knowlton a été marqué par un festival d'été qui a attiré les meilleurs et les plus brillants acteurs canadiens dans cette charmante ville.
Le lac Memphrémagog, l'un des joyaux des Cantons-de-l'Est. Dérivé d'un mot abénaquis, d'après la tradition, pour "Belles eaux" ou moins romantiquement, "À la grande étendue d'eau", le lac Memphrémagog présente certains des panoramas les plus impressionnants dans la région.
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.
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.