Brome-Missisquoi

At the Quebec-Vermont border, from the Sutton Mountains to Brome Lake, the Brome-Missisquoi regional municipal county offers magnificent panoramas of the surrounding mountains, forests, farmland, and waterways. As early as the end of the 18th century, Lake Champlain and Missisquoi Bay opened the way to settlement, making this corner of paradise the privileged cradle of Loyalists arriving from New England. Today, the American and British influences remain in the region’s architecture. The Townships Trail takes you to Bromont, Lac-Brome (Knowlton), Sutton, Cowansville, Standbridge East, Frelighsburg and Bedford.

The Brome-Missisquoi regional municipal county is proud to present the Brome Missisquoi Notebooks, a travel journal of text and images on the region’s history and heritage. Available at tourist information offices.

 Lac-Brome Museum and Children's Museum

Lac-Brome Museum and Children's Museum

The museum is located in the heart of Knowlton (Town of  Brome Lake) on beautiful grounds. Easily accessible, the museum includes many buildings: the old fire station; an interactive children's museum; the Martin Annex which houses a War Museum; see an airplane from the First World War, a rare find and the only one with its original material; the former courthouse dating back to 1858, which today serves as the accredited Archives Centre (available by appointment only); the former Knowlton Academy, and more.

The museum dedicates the largest artifact collection of the first war in which lies outside the War Museum in Ottawa. The house of the founder of Knowlton was added to the site in October 2014.

The Lac-Brome Museum, a perfect place for history lovers, or for a memorable family outing. 

130, rue Lakeside, Lac Brome (Knowlton)
J0E 1V0
450 243-6782
Email | Website

Sutton

Sutton

Constituted in 1802, the border municipality of Sutton, which covers 235 square kilometres, is renowned for its tranquil rural landscape. Loyalists started arriving here in 1799. Coming from New Hampshire, Richard Shepard was one of the first pioneers to clear the land. Later, in the 1840s, French-speaking settlers also came and brought their culture to the region.The municipality was granted town status in 1962.

An interpretive panel is located in front of the former Brunswick Inn (now the restaurant À la Fontaine), located at 30-A Principale Sud.

27, rue Principale Nord, Sutton
J0E 2K0
1 800 565-8455
Website

Musée Bruck

Musée Bruck

Opening hours, spring-summer 2023:

Thursday to Saturday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

From June 20 to August 19, Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Second empire style and built in 1874 as the Eastern Townships Bank, this remarkable building is a remarkable place to visit and is also the starting point of a heritage tour. Discover the Bruck-Lee permanent collection which consists of more than 75 works (paintings and sculptures). This collection was put together by the Cowansville Art Centre (1956-1979) and presents the works of Alexander Y. Jackson from Groupe des Sept and many artists from Beaver Hall Group.

Since 2009, Lee-Vermeille collection, following a sponsorship project, adds a contemporary component to the museum with its garden sculptures and paintings. The museum also hosts visual arts temporary exhibitions, mainly of artists living in the region.

Cowansville's  history began in 1798 with the arrival of the first settler, the son of a Loyalist named Jacob Ruiter. Cowansville gets its name from the Scotsman Peter Cowan, an influential businessman and later sheriff of the district of Bedford. The village was incorporated in 1876 and became a town in 1931. Cowansville is a bilingual, industrial town today and retains its Loyalist influences with magnificent buildings and affluent homes.

225, rue Principale, Cowansville
J2K 1J4
450 263-0141, poste 230
Website

The Missisquoi Museum

The Missisquoi Museum

Stanbridge East was founded in 1801 and incorporated in 1890. The first inhabitants were former British settlers who wanted to remain loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution, moving to the area in 1797. The Loyalists cleared the land for cultivation, and thus started an agricultural industry that remains prosperous to this day. The town is renowned for its Loyalist architecture and origins.

The Museum contains more than 12,000 items relating to Missisquoi County’s history, located in 3
period  buildings: the Cornell Mill (1830); the Walbridge Barn located in  the charming hamlet of Mystic and Hodge’s General Store.

2, rue River , Stanbridge East
J0J 2H0
450 248-3153
Website

Bedford

Bedford

Long considered the county seat of Missisquoi, Bedford (1890) is located close to the Quebec border with Vermont. The first settler arrived in 1804.

At the end of the 19th century, Bedford was a significant trade centre with its train station, retail stores, agricultural society buildings, Bedford Times head office, branch of the Exchange Bank, office of the Dominion Telegraph Company, tannery, several manufacturing shops, and smelting works.

1, rue Principale , Bedford
J0J 1A0
450 248-2440
Website

Frelighsburg

Frelighsburg

Surrounding Pinnacle Mountain, the recent municipality of Frelighsburg is the result of a merger of townships and small villages. The original municipality of Frelighsburg was already established in 1845, however, and included the Protestant parish of Saint Armand East. The village is named after one of its first pioneers, Abram Freligh, who came from New York.

Apple production is a major part of the economy, and the village was designated among the most beautiful in Quebec.

1, Place de l’Hôtel de ville, Frelighsburg
J0J 1C0
450 298-5133, poste 30
Website

Bromont

Bromont

Bromont’s contemporary history starts at the end of the 18th century with the arrival of Loyalists. It was then a preferred destination for Irish and French-speaking settlers, growing together in a harmonious community. The Town of Bromont was founded in 1964 and by the mid-1970s included parts of the townships of East Farnham, Brome, Granby, and Shefford, as well as the villages of West Shefford and Adamsville.

The Désourdy founding family members planned a two-pronged development: recreational tourism and high-tech industry. Bromont’s dynamic growth in the past 40 years has contributed significantly to the success of local industry, sports, culture, and tourism.

15, boulevard de Bromont , Bromont
J2L 2K4
1 877 276-6668
Email | Website

Loading...

DISCOVER ANOTHER REGION

Townships Trail map Haut-Saint-François Des Sources Val-Saint-François Sherbrooke Memphrémagog Haute-Yamaska Brome-Missisquoi