Historic Landmarks

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.

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.

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.

In the fall of 2007, QAHN launched its Cemetery Heritage Inventory and Restoration Initiative (CHIRI). Our objective was to evaluate cemeteries of English speaking communities and / or religious congregations in several areas of Quebec, including the Laurentians.

A major concern for the entire historical community of Quebec has been, and remains, our vast and varied religious heritage. Regardless of language or denomination, our cities, towns and countryside are populated by empty, or seasonal, or much diminished churches, many of which have old cemeteries attached to them.

Doctor, researcher, teacher, writer, and curator: “It’s doubtful if any one person did more in her generation, to make McGill known throughout the medical world” than did Maude Abbott, who was born and raised in St. Andrews East.In 1890, Maude Abbott applied to the McGill Faculty of Medicine, which was not yet ready to allow a woman to enter.