Matthew Farfan

The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) has just released eight new bilingual pamphlets on the heritage of English Quebec. A continuation of a series produced in 2002 (which featured Old Quebec City, Outaouais-Pontiac, Châteauguay Valley, and Megantic County), these latest "heritage trails" cover the Upper Saguenay, the West Laurentians, Vaudreuil-Hudson, Chaleur Bay, the Upper St. Francis Valley, Missisquoi, South Compton, and Brome County -- the latter four located in the Eastern Townships. Anyone planning to visit these areas will find these pamphlets very helpful.

Like the previous pamphlets in the series, these eight new ones feature excursions into some of the most historic corners of the province. Each tour contains illustrations and maps, as well as anecdotes about the history of the villages and hamlets en route, important personages in the region's past, and sites worth visiting. There are also names and telephone numbers for heritage attractions along the way.


BROME COUNTY
The Brome County tour spotlights an enchanting part of the Townships that encompasses Knowlton, West Brome, Sutton, Abercorn, Glen Sutton, Dunkin, Highwater, and Mansonville. Travellers learn about everything from pioneer schoolhouses to railroads to prohibition to local weapons scientist Gerald Bull, who was assassinated in 1990. They also discover the Brome County Museum and Sutton's Museum of Communications.

SOUTH COMPTON
The South Compton tour begins in Huntingville, making a wide circle through Milby, Compton Village, Coaticook, Hereford Mountain, East Hereford / Hall Stream, Sawyerville, and Eaton Corner. Though somewhat off the main tourist track, this area is rich in history and wonderful scenery, and well worth a visit. Along the way are covered bridges, historic churches, and heritage sites, including Louis S. St-Laurent National Historic Site, the Beaulne Museum, the Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse, and the Compton County Museum.

MISSISQUOI
Missisquoi County is one of the most picturesque and historically rich parts of Quebec. Settled by the United Empire Loyalists as early as the 1770s, Missisquoi retains much of its charm. This tour begins in Dunham and winds its way through Stanbridge East, Bedford, Mystic, Philipsburg, St. Armand, Pigeon Hill, and Frelighsburg. Along the way, visitors will discover a 12-sided barn, a 200-year old slave burial ground, a covered bridge, a museum housed in a pioneer mill, and all kinds of interesting back roads and great history.

THE UPPER ST. FRANCIS
The Upper St. Francis heritage trail covers that part of the Townships located northeast of Sherbrooke along the St. Francis and Salmon (au Saumon) river valleys. This is an area with a strong Scottish heritage, and the Upper St. Francis heritage trail is a reflection of that. Starting in East Angus, the tour makes its way through Bishopton, Marbleton, Gould, Scotstown, Bury, and Cookshire. Visitors will learn about everything from the once all-powerful British-American Land Company to the modern-day Gould Festival of Scottish Traditions.

QAHN's "heritage trails" are researched and written by Dwane Wilkin and funded by the departments of Canadian Heritage and Canada Economic Development. For information on how to obtain these tours, contact QAHN.