Le Haut St-Laurent
History and Landscapes
par Hélène Nadeau,
Éditions Continuité, Québec, Canada

Ms. Nadeau was the Cultural Development Officer for the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent from 1999 to 2001.

The hamlets and localities in the region offer a wealth of architectural detail and exciting landscapes, often known only to local residents. Small farms, stables and barns, wells, silos made of wood or stone, old school-houses, family cemeteries, flour mills, stone walls and bridges are some of the elements that dot the landscape and serve as guide posts for our local and regional history.

The Turcot Bridge, constructed by the Belgian engineer, Gérald Macquet, in 1889

 

The development of the Haut-Saint-Laurent’s country landscapes

In 1729, the King of France granted a vast territory to two brothers, Charles and Claude Beauharnois de Beaumont. These lands measured 6 leagues square and bordered the Saint Lawrence River to the west of the Seigneurie de Châteauguay; a portion of the current territory of the MRC Le Haut-Saint-Laurent became the Seigneurie de Beauharnois. Due to the slow pace of its development, the Seigneurie changed owners several times: from Charles Beauharnois in 1750 to Michel Chartier de Lotbinière in 1763, to Alexander Ellice in 1795. It was under the control of Seigneur Ellice that the territory began to be settled, first along the shoreline of the St. Lawrence and the banks of the Chateauguay River which crossed the region from east to west. Although the colonization pattern in the territory was typical, the region stood out for the cultural diversity of its new settlers. Following the British conquest of Nouvelle-France, the territory was divided into cantons and opened to colonization. The arrival of immigrants from Scotland and Ireland began around 1800, at the same time as American emigrants, seeking cultivatable lands, crossed the border from New York State to settle at the foot of Covey Hill. This English-speaking settlement spread throughout the territory, except along the littoral zone of the St. Lawrence River where the French Canadian inhabitants had begun their colonization in 1789.

 

The Forest

Between 1760 and 1830, logging operations transformed the landscapes of the Haut Saint-Laurent. The wide spreads of forest of majestic pine and oak were highly valued by the English navy for shipbuilding. The abandoned hamlet of Godmanchester, located in the Municipality

 

of Saint-Anicet, bears witness to the forestry activity in the early 19th century. Also called La Guerre, this hamlet was named after François Benoît dit LaGuerre who, at the turn of the 19th century set up a logging operation
 

In 1823, the Scottish entrepreneur, Alexander McBain, and the merchant, Alexander Ogilvie, set up two general stores in the hamlet. The village developed rapidly and became the regional centre for the timber trade and various services. During the 1840s, following the decline of the wood industry, the village was abandoned, leaving behind a set of buildings which typify this period in the history of the Haut Saint-Laurent. Among these is the ancient McDonald Manor, built in 1837 in a neoclassical style. Perched on a hillock in the middle of a pasture, stands the ruins of the La Guerre United Church and its cemetery, with headstones strangely dispersed around the building, testifying to the Scottish origins of the faithful.

Over time, agriculture and agro-forest operations took the place of the pre-colonial forest, the last surviving example of which is the Muir Woods in the Municipality of Hinchinbrooke, the only pre-colonial forest to be documented and protected. This 11-hectar woodland survived because the Muir family, originally from Scotland, had a highly unusual interest in conservation. The oldest trees have been there for 150 to 300 years. By designating the Muir Woods as an ecological reserve in 1995, the Government of Quebec recognized the determining role of this family in preserving this exceptional site.
 

The Architectural Landscape

The hydraulic power generated by the waters of the Chateauguay, Trout and English rivers gave rise to mills and, subsequently, small towns such as Athelstan,Kensington, Huntingdon, Dewittville, Ormstown, Howick and Saint-Chrysostome. Of these, Huntingdon and Ormstown experienced industrial development at the beginning of the 20th century and soon became centres for business and
 
services in the region. At the end of the 20th century, the Village of Ormstown was recognized as the centre of Quebec’s brick industry. Between 1874 and 1925, there were seven brick yards in this village.
The architecture of Lambton, Church and Bridge Streets in Ormstown, and Chateauguay, King and Prince Streets in Huntingdon, testify to the prosperity of the area at the beginning of the century. Bordered by mature trees, these streets boasted houses whose four-square architectural style was influenced by the American
 

vernacular, predominately red brick and clapboard. Pavilion roofs generally included a dormer window on the front façade and architectural details which indicate the Anglo-Saxon influence.

Among the many heritage buildings in the territory, in Ormstown the old fire station (now the Town Hall), was erected in 1901 in the boom-town style. The building has a large cornice, bell tower in the front and an ancient hose tower, dating back to the original function of the building. In Huntingdon, the first court house, which also served as the registry office, was classified as a historical monument in 1984. Designed by the Montreal Architect, John James Brown, the neo-classic, cut-stone building was constructed in 1859-1860. It features a three-part front façade, sash windows, four chimneys, one in each corner of the square building, and a lantern in the centre of the roof.

In the 19th century, British colonists built their farm houses of brick, wood or stone. They were usually fairly far from the road and surrounded by mature trees. The most common architectural style featured a gabled dormer, usually with a window under an arch of ornately carved woodwork. Brick was also used to construct farm buildings, particularly for the first floor, supported by a stone foundation.

 

Covey Hill, Cultural Frontier

Covey Hill is in the foothills of the Adirondacks; looking over the Chateauguay Valley at an altitude of 342 metres. Its name refers to the American, Samuel Covey, one of the first settlers. Along the 1st Concession Road, Route 202 and Covey Hill Road, hamlets sprung up regularly. Some of these, such as Herdman, Rockburn, Bridgetown and Franklin are home to some true architectural treasures.

As a new home for Irish, Scottish and some American immigrants, the region took on a distinct architectural heritage. The landscapes of the hill are indicative of the very rocky soil, encouraging the use of stone as a building material. By the middle

 
of the 19th century, farmers in this region had established superb flourishing orchards. The stones removed from the land were piled to form walls which framed the fields, a reminder of the toil required to clear them.
 
 

Cut, the stone served as a construction material for public buildings, homes and farm buildings. Among the farm structures and houses which demonstrate the local knowledge and practices are stone milk houses constructed above a natural water source in order to feed a system of channels which served to cool the milk. In the Rockburn and Franklin areas, we find small buildings called “ash houses”. Built of stone, they are historically associated with the production of potash and were used to store the ash from the woodstoves during the winter. The potash, obtained by washing wood ash, was used to manufacture detergent and soap. At the time, England, alone, produced close to half of all cotton fabric sold in the world, and required large quantities of potash to wash and bleach the fibre. For the colonists, it was a lucrative business: between 1810 and 1825, a barrel of potash, which represented the work of two men over a one-month period, sold for between $35 and $60.

 
 

The Religious Landscape

Churches and cemeteries, left by the Protestant Scottish and Irish colonists, dot the countryside, enriching the cultural landscape by their location and architectural style. The region counts 25 protestant churches. Among the most remarkable is St. Paul’s Anglican Church (1848), located in the hamlet of Herdman. Quite humble outside, it is a work of art inside. The St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (1904), located in Huntingdon, is unique in its picturesque, romantic style. Built of stone, it is extremely bright inside due to magnificent stained-glass windows bearing geometric motifs and liturgical scenes.

 
 

Family cemeteries associated with Protestantism, create magnificent spiritual gardens. Often surrounded by stone walls, there are many examples along Route 202 and 1st Concession Road in the municipalities of Hinchinbrooke, Franklin and Havelock. The Scottish cemeteries in Dundee are surrounded by immense pine trees reminders of the conifers in the Scottish colonists’ land of birth.


Photos: Circuit du Paysan

With their activities and lifestyles, the Scottish, Irish and French colonists moulded and shaped the landscape of the Haut Saint-Laurent. These cultural exchanges resulted in many different architectural styles.

Proud of its heritage, in the autumn of 1998, the MRC Le Haut-Saint-Laurent joined the art and heritage town and village network, Ville et Villages d’art et de patrimoine. With its Cultural Policy, adopted in the spring of 2000, the MRC clearly demonstrated that it intends to preserve and develop the elements which have created such pleasing landscapes, full of reminders of the past.



For further information:
MRC Le Haut-Saint-Laurent
Louis-Maxime Dubois, Cultural Development Officer
Telephone: (450) 264-5411

 
 

Valley history

to come