Crédit: Louis Robitaille
Three Village Communities with Exceptional Historical Heritage.
Any history and architecture enthusiast will love Stanstead. Founded by pioneers from New England in the 1790s, it grew in importance to become a Canadian stop on the Quebec-Boston stagecoach route.
Over the years, the village became the hub of a distinguished society. Thanks to its colorful past, Dufferin Street in Stanstead Plain has been dubbed an “open-air museum,” boasting numerous churches and other notable buildings: Stanstead College (1873), Ursuline College (1881), and the former post office.
In Rock Island, one must admire the Tomifobia River Falls in spring, and since it’s a border town, take a look at “Canusa” Street (Canada-USA!), where some “international” buildings straddle the Canada-USA border. The most famous is the Haskell Library and Opera House, where the stage is in Canada and the audience in the United States!
Beebe Plain was settled around 1789 by Mr. Zeba Beebe, a native of Connecticut. He lived there alone with his family until 1800. Harnessing the Tomifobia River, a sawmill was established as the first business in 1863. By 1869, Beebe Plain had a church, two stores, a post office, a customs office, and a few houses.
BE CAUTIOUS: as you wander the streets of the village, you might find yourself in the United States without even realizing it… until an American customs officer asks for your passport!
