Expertise route

Opening hours, spring-summer 2024:

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

From June 22 to August 24, 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.

The first inhabitants of the area were former British settlers who wanted to remain loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution, moving to the Missisquoi area in 1797. The Loyalists cleared the land for cultivation, and thus started an agricultural industry that remains prosperous to this day. The towns in the area are renowned for their Loyalist architecture and origins.

Missisquoi County extended along the American border from Noyan in the west to Frelighsburg in the east and from Saint-Armand in the south to Farnham/Rainville in the north and also included the towns and municipalities of Bedford, Bedford Canton, Cowansville/Sweetsburg, Dunham/Lac Selby, Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge, Philipsburg, Sainte-Sabine, Saint-Georges-de-Clarenceville, Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge/Mystic, Saint-Pierre-de-Véronne-à-Pike-River, Stanbridge East, Stanbridge Station and Venise-en-Québec.

The Museum contains more than 30,000 artefacts and documents relating to Missisquoi County’s history, located in 3 period  buildings: the Cornell Mill (1830) and Hodge’s General Store (1850) in Stanbridge East; and the Walbridge Barn (1881) located in  the charming hamlet of Mystic in the municipality of Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge.

The Louis-Émile-Beauregard collection includes 64 miniature works carved in wood. Born in Dudswell, Quebec, Louis-Émile Beauregard began his model collection at the age of 55, depicting scenes of rural life from the 1920s to the 1940s. The artist spends between 40 and 500 hours designing each one.

Visitors can discover these works from June to Labor Day, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on public holidays.

Located in a Presbyterian church dating back to 1889, this interpretation centre highlights the unique heritage of slate (roofing, slate objects, etc.).

Activities: Tour focusing on slate roofs. Also, a heritage tour of Richmond, slate-cutting demonstrations, and a gift shop. Documentation available at the Centre d’interprétation de l’Ardoise.

Located in a spectacular historic setting, the mill offers an unforgettable experience for the whole family. Immerse yourself in the world of a pre-industrial workshop during a guided tour where you can experience all the stages of wool transformation, or enrich your knowledge by experiencing a tour combining augmented reality and 3D audio, a first in Quebec! Our craft boutique will also enable you to discover a variety of handmade, environmentally-friendly products of superior quality. 

What better way to end your day than with an excursion along our 5 km of hiking trails, after enjoying a succulent meal at La Table de la Bergère. Alone, with family or friends, the Ulverton Woolen Mill is a national treasure and well worth a visit!

This is the capital of the asbestos-producing region, known particularly for its open-pit mines. With the Jeffrey Mine, the town can continue to claim to this day to have the largest open-air deposit in the world. The asbestos was discovered by 1879, and extraction began by William H. Jeffrey in 1881. Val-des-Sources (before called Asbestos) has been through its courses and graduated, growing from a simple post office to mining camp and from village to town. The name “Asbestos,” dating back to 1884, comes from the English word derived from the Greek name for incombustible.

The museum collects minerals from the Jeffrey Mine as well as derivative products from the mining industry, and provides information on the history of local mining. The visitors are now also offered a temporary exhibition

One of the world largest open-pit mining site is located in Val-des-Sources. Dug by more than 120 years of mining, Its 2-kilometer-diameter pit can be seen from an observatory overlooking the mine. Free access. A unique view!

The Rozynski Art Center aims to promote, popularize and disseminate knowledge about ceramics and sculptural arts.

While seeking to commemorate the importance of the Eastern Townships for the development of ceramics in Quebec, and the rich artistic past of the hamlet of Way's Mills, the centre focuses its activities on research and creation for artists sculptors and contemporary ceramists.

Activities include master classes, workshops, conferences and artist residencies. A variety of activities for the general public are also offered, including various events and exhibitions taking place on 2 acres of land bordering the Niger River.