Stanstead, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Stanstead is a town of about 3,000 people, part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality
in the Estrie
region of Québec
. Stanstead is located on the Canada-United States border
across from Derby Line
, Vermont
.
The town of Stanstead was created in 1995 by the merger of the former towns of Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and Beebe Plain.
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House
was deliberately constructed straddling the border for access for both Canadians and Americans.
runs through the town of Stanstead, dividing the U.S./Canadian border at times. Along portions of Canada's Canusa Street
, houses on the southern end of the street lie entirely within Vermont, while their driveways direct northward, and connect to the street in Québec, as the northern portions of their properties are within Canada. These residents' backyard neighbours are American, while families living right across the street are Canadian, though no noticeable boundary exists between the two (the street itself is entirely within Québec). In other places, the international border runs through individual homes, so that meals prepared in one country are eaten in the other. An entire tool-and-die factory, once operated by the Butterfield division of Litton Industries
, is also divided in two by the border.
In 1940, traffic on Quebec Route 143
was halted due to snow from March 22 to April 3. This was the area's main route at the time. Dufferin Heights was most affected. Volunteers helped to shovel out the snow. The snow was so high, that steps were made on the banks so that shovelers could climb up and dump it so it wouldn't slide back into the road. Trains were similarly affected though able to dig out more quickly.
in search of good farming land.
The Mansur or Red Brick one-room school was built in 1819. It is the oldest one-room school remaining in Quebec. Built in 1795, the former customs house located at 575, Dufferin street, is the oldest Canadian authority building still standing.
The first census was held in 1825.
The town blossomed in the 19th century, due to the influx of United Empire Loyalists
and the development of the granite
industry. In 1855, the village was incorporated by the Quebec legislature
. The town was the main center of commerce of the region through the late 18th century, losing preeminence to Sherbrooke. Stanstead was also at one time the seat
of the former Stanstead County.
The railroad reached Stanstead in 1871. Today its tracks have been transformed into bike trails owned by the regional government.
A seminary built here in 1829 became Stanstead College in 1873.
In 1884, Ursulines
opened a convent here which operated a Francophone college. The convent and the school both closed in 2004. The word "college" here designates a high school in each case. Starting 2011, the convent became an elders residence named the "Stanstead Manor".
In 1878, the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Dufferin
, and his wife visited the town.
Rock Island was incorporated as a village in 1892, and became a city in 1957.
Rock Island is known for the Haskell Free Library and Opera House
, deliberately constructed on the international border and opened in 1904. The original owners were a couple with dual nationality; Mr. Carlos F. Haskell was an American businessman from Derby Line who owned a number of sawmills, while Mrs. Haskell was born in Canada. The intent was that people on both sides of the border would have use of the facility, which is now a designated historic site. In recent times, however, after the boundary controls were hardened between both countries, Canadian citizens need to report to their customs after visiting the building.
Another famous native of Rock Island is Henrietta Banting (1912-1976), the wife of Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin in 1922. The Bantings donated some land to the town, and the municipal authorities recognized them by naming a public park in their honor in 1981 (located on the north side of Notre-Dame Ouest Street going westbound towards Dufferin).
It is also the home of the Dairy Association Company, the manufacturers of Bag Balm
.
The Butterfield factory closed in 1982 after a lengthy strike by Canadian workers.
-style holiday resort, including a meeting hall, a dining room and about thirty country cottages, attracted thousands of people, mainly Americans from New York and Boston. The granite industry is the major force in the area’s economic history.
A building located at 3, Principale (Main St.) is in similar state to the Haskell Library - a line runs through its north aisle. In this case, however, Canadian citizens are not allowed to access the building without reporting to the U.S. customs first, and then to the Canadian customs if going back.
Access to homes on Canusa Street is made through the Canadian border. U.S. citizens residing there have to report to their customs if traveling south, and to the Canadian customs if traveling elsewhere in Beebe.
has an international border line painted on the floors of the building. Another landmark is Centenary United Church.
founded in 1845, is still published.
club which recruits members from both sides of the border. A new ice arena will be built in Stanstead and completed by 2011. It will be named in honor of former NHL
coach Pat Burns
.
Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Memphrémagog is a Quebec Regional County Municipality in Canada.-History:After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, the American Revolutionary War ended with the establishment of the state of Vermont. The border of Upper Canada was then defined at approximately 45 degrees north...
in the Estrie
Estrie
The Estrie is an administrative region of Quebec that overlaps mostly the Eastern Townships. Estrie, a French neologism, was coined as a derivative of est, "east."...
region of Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Stanstead is located on the Canada-United States border
Canada-United States border
The Canada–United States border, officially known as the International Boundary, is the longest border in the world. The terrestrial boundary is 8,891 kilometers long, including 2,475 kilometres shared with Alaska...
across from Derby Line
Derby Line, Vermont
Derby Line is an incorporated village in the town of Derby in Orleans County, Vermont, United States, slightly north of the 45th parallel, the normal U.S.-Canadian boundary...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
The town of Stanstead was created in 1995 by the merger of the former towns of Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and Beebe Plain.
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House
Haskell Free Library and Opera House
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is a neoclassical building that straddles the international border in Rock Island and Derby Line, Vermont...
was deliberately constructed straddling the border for access for both Canadians and Americans.
Geography
The Tomifobia RiverTomifobia River
The Tomifobia River is a flowing body of fresh water in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. The river forms a part of an international border between Canada and the United States near the village of Beebe Plain, Vermont.-Course:...
runs through the town of Stanstead, dividing the U.S./Canadian border at times. Along portions of Canada's Canusa Street
Canusa Street
Canusa Avenue or, in French, rue Canusa is the only part of the American–Canadian border that runs down the middle of a street. The street separates Beebe Plain, Vermont from the Beebe Plain area of Stanstead, Quebec and is a part of Quebec Route 247....
, houses on the southern end of the street lie entirely within Vermont, while their driveways direct northward, and connect to the street in Québec, as the northern portions of their properties are within Canada. These residents' backyard neighbours are American, while families living right across the street are Canadian, though no noticeable boundary exists between the two (the street itself is entirely within Québec). In other places, the international border runs through individual homes, so that meals prepared in one country are eaten in the other. An entire tool-and-die factory, once operated by the Butterfield division of Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
, is also divided in two by the border.
History
Prior to merging, the towns of Stanstead, Rock Island and Beebe were known collectively as "Trois villages" or "Three villages."In 1940, traffic on Quebec Route 143
Quebec route 143
Route 143 is a north/south highway on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Until the mid-1970s when the province decided to renumber all highways other than autoroutes, it was known as Route/Highway 5...
was halted due to snow from March 22 to April 3. This was the area's main route at the time. Dufferin Heights was most affected. Volunteers helped to shovel out the snow. The snow was so high, that steps were made on the banks so that shovelers could climb up and dump it so it wouldn't slide back into the road. Trains were similarly affected though able to dig out more quickly.
Stanstead Plain
Stanstead Plain was founded in 1796 by Johnson Taplin, who came from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in search of good farming land.
The Mansur or Red Brick one-room school was built in 1819. It is the oldest one-room school remaining in Quebec. Built in 1795, the former customs house located at 575, Dufferin street, is the oldest Canadian authority building still standing.
The first census was held in 1825.
The town blossomed in the 19th century, due to the influx of United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists
The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...
and the development of the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
industry. In 1855, the village was incorporated by the Quebec legislature
National Assembly of Quebec
The National Assembly of Quebec is the legislative body of the Province of Quebec. The Lieutenant Governor and the National Assembly compose the Parliament of Quebec, which operates in a fashion similar to those of other British-style parliamentary systems.The National Assembly was formerly the...
. The town was the main center of commerce of the region through the late 18th century, losing preeminence to Sherbrooke. Stanstead was also at one time the seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of the former Stanstead County.
The railroad reached Stanstead in 1871. Today its tracks have been transformed into bike trails owned by the regional government.
A seminary built here in 1829 became Stanstead College in 1873.
In 1884, Ursulines
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
opened a convent here which operated a Francophone college. The convent and the school both closed in 2004. The word "college" here designates a high school in each case. Starting 2011, the convent became an elders residence named the "Stanstead Manor".
In 1878, the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Dufferin
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava
Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British public servant and prominent member of Victorian society...
, and his wife visited the town.
Rock Island
Rock Island was settled in 1798 by Samuel and Selah Pomroy from Massachusetts. In 1802, a bridge was built across the Tomifobia River to ease access to Derby Line. The following year, Col. Charles Kilborn built a saw mill and a corn mill, then set up a dam on the river to feed them. A few years later, a channel was dug in the bend of the river. The territory located between the channel and the river was named Rock Island.Rock Island was incorporated as a village in 1892, and became a city in 1957.
Rock Island is known for the Haskell Free Library and Opera House
Haskell Free Library and Opera House
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is a neoclassical building that straddles the international border in Rock Island and Derby Line, Vermont...
, deliberately constructed on the international border and opened in 1904. The original owners were a couple with dual nationality; Mr. Carlos F. Haskell was an American businessman from Derby Line who owned a number of sawmills, while Mrs. Haskell was born in Canada. The intent was that people on both sides of the border would have use of the facility, which is now a designated historic site. In recent times, however, after the boundary controls were hardened between both countries, Canadian citizens need to report to their customs after visiting the building.
Another famous native of Rock Island is Henrietta Banting (1912-1976), the wife of Frederick Banting, co-discoverer of insulin in 1922. The Bantings donated some land to the town, and the municipal authorities recognized them by naming a public park in their honor in 1981 (located on the north side of Notre-Dame Ouest Street going westbound towards Dufferin).
It is also the home of the Dairy Association Company, the manufacturers of Bag Balm
Bag Balm
Bag Balm is a salve developed in 1899 to soothe irritation on cows' udders after milking. The product is officially only meant for animals and is inspected as such by the United States Food and Drug Administration, but it's also often used as a treatment for chapped and irritated skin on humans and...
.
The Butterfield factory closed in 1982 after a lengthy strike by Canadian workers.
Beebe Plain
Beebe Plain was colonized about 1789 by Zeeba Beebe of Connecticut. A saw mill was established as the town’s first business in 1863. By 1869, Beebe Plain had a church, two stores, a post office, a customs post and some houses. The village separated from the Canton of Stanstead and became a separate municipality. From 1874 to 1935, a ChautauquaChautauqua
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with...
-style holiday resort, including a meeting hall, a dining room and about thirty country cottages, attracted thousands of people, mainly Americans from New York and Boston. The granite industry is the major force in the area’s economic history.
A building located at 3, Principale (Main St.) is in similar state to the Haskell Library - a line runs through its north aisle. In this case, however, Canadian citizens are not allowed to access the building without reporting to the U.S. customs first, and then to the Canadian customs if going back.
Access to homes on Canusa Street is made through the Canadian border. U.S. citizens residing there have to report to their customs if traveling south, and to the Canadian customs if traveling elsewhere in Beebe.
Government
The town of Stanstead was created in 1995 by the merger of the former towns of Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and Beebe Plain.Economy
The Canadian side of the former Butterfield building is being used by small industrial businesses, such as the Sealander Waterworks as a demonstration plant for renewable energy.Landmarks
The Haskell Free Library and Opera HouseHaskell Free Library and Opera House
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is a neoclassical building that straddles the international border in Rock Island and Derby Line, Vermont...
has an international border line painted on the floors of the building. Another landmark is Centenary United Church.
Infrastructure
Drinking water for the adjacent towns of Derby Line and Stanstead, is pumped from wells in Canada, stored in a reservoir in the United States and distributed through a system maintained by Canadians. Derby Line’s sewage makes a cross-border trip for treatment.Media
The Stanstead Journal, an English-language weekly newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
founded in 1845, is still published.
Sports
There is a curlingCurling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
club which recruits members from both sides of the border. A new ice arena will be built in Stanstead and completed by 2011. It will be named in honor of former NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
coach Pat Burns
Pat Burns
Patrick Burns was a National Hockey League head coach. Over 14 seasons between 1988 and 2004, he coached in 1,019 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and New Jersey Devils...
.
External links
- Beaux Villages — Stanstead, Québec
- Eastern Townships tourism — Search — Villages
- Memphrémagog tourism — Villages MRC Memphrémagog — Municipalités
- Partly in Vermont: A Borderline Case (Time)
- The Colbys of Stanstead