Heritage route
A journey through history and territory
Thanks to its many circuits and guided tours, this thematic route will introduce you to the history of the region through its architecture, its natural heritage and its people, past and present. The British and American heritage of the Eastern Townships is particularly highlighted in these activities, which can be done on your own (web application, podcast, brochure, explanatory panel) or with accompanying guides.
Musée Bruck
225, rue Principale, Cowansville J2K 1J4 450 263-0141, poste 230 Website
From June 24 to Labor Day, the Bruck Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
During the winter season, the Bruck Museum is open from Thursday to Saturday, from 12pm to 4pm.
Please note that the Museum will be closed throughout January.
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 Pionneer Trail
, Coaticook J1A 1A9 1 866 665-666 Website
At the heart of our villages or along country roads become acquainted with 22 characters that are both colorful and inspiring. Listen to their story and learn about the striking facts of the development of
their municipality.
Downloading the tour with the BaladoDécouverte application is free.
Discovery Circuits of the Coaticook Region
, Coaticook J1A 1A9 1 866 665-6669 Website
Discover the most beautiful itineraries through the Eastern Townships’ Coaticook region. From mountain summits to lush valleys, you’ll be delighted by the area’s wide-open spaces, rich heritage, and historical tours.
Voices from another time
, Coaticook J1A 1A9 1 866 665-6669 Website
Discover Coaticook’s history and heritage as you get to know 10 of the area’s cemeteries up close! From the town’s hilltops to Lake Lyster’s shores, the tour leads you along picturesque routes, taking you back in time to the 1800s.
Download on Baladodecouverte
Murals tour
785 Rue King Ouest, Sherbrooke J1H 1R8 1 800 561-8331 Email Website
In all four corners of downtown Sherbrooke, fifteen gigantic fresco murals show off the old districts of the city to their advantage. This tour is a unique attraction that transforms the downtown area in a magnificent open air museum. The Baladodiscovery application offers an interactive tour of the fresco murals with videos, music and historical information about characters and places that shaped Sherbrooke’s history.
Information brochure available at the Tourist Information
Center. Open year-round
Tours of Sherbrooke : L'histoire à ciel ouvert
275, rue Dufferin, Sherbrooke J1H 4M5 819-821-5406 Email Website
Three independants tours of the streets of Sherbrooke’s Old-North Ward and downtown, presented by the Mhist-Musée d'histoire de Sherbrooke on BaladoDecouverte's application. In French only.
Brompton's Heritage Route
1 Rue Wilfrid-Laurier, Sherbrooke J1C 0P3 819-846-1122 Website
Brompton's Heritage Route, near the Townships Trail, offers a unique experience to visitors and is free. As Responsive Web design, this circuit of 2.1 kilometer is adapting to the New Technologies of Information to highlight the architectural heritage and history of the community. The Maison des arts et de la culture de Brompton is the starting point of the circuit. Open year-round.
Slate Podcast of Pays de l’Ardoise
5, rue Belmont, Richmond J0B 2B0 819 826-3313 Website
Discover the English district of Richmond with its picturesque streets: Dufferin, Aberdeen and College. The architectural quality of their building’s slate roofing has given the
district significant historic interest. By taking the pedestrian tour, you will witness the rich heritage and cultural diversity left by its founders.
Anecdotes and historical facts of this historical epicentre are included.
Offered free of charge as a podcast: download it or play it live on your smartphone from the Slate Museum website.
Danville's Heritage Tour
150 rue Water, Danville J0A 1N0 1 888 839-2911 Email Website
Take a stroll along the three heritage tours, which will reveal Danville’s exceptional charm with more than 66 buildings of heritage, historical, and cultural interest. The tours take you to buildings of neo-Queen Ann, American vernacular, mansard, neo-Italian, Second Empire, and Boomtown styles.
Magog Heritage Tours
90, rue Saint-David, Magog J1X 0H9 819 843-2099 Email Website
Magog Heritage Tours will make you discover the three oldest districts of Magog. Three self-guided tours highlight the architecture of the different buildings constructed between 1821 and 1950. Three interactive maps are available for this purpose, including content on demand based on points of interest.
Witness to the lives of the people who have lived here, these buildings, each in its own way, act as landmarks in the history of the city. Through them we can travel back in time to relive the history of Magog.
Please respect the privacy of the occupants of these buildings by not trespassing.
Heritage tour «On our Founders' Trails»
5491 Rue Foster, Waterloo J0E 2N0 450 539-4650 Email Website
Welcome to Waterloo!
Whether you are on foot or on your bike, here’s your chance to explore more than 150 years of history.
Heritage homes, places of worship and institutions are evidence of a golden age that has often fallen by the wayside.
From the tourist information booth, you will have easy access to all documents, the Artria Open Air Museum and the Yamaska River.
Historical circuits of Granby
111, rue Denison Est, Granby J2G 4C4 450 372-7056 Email Website
Take a trip back to the Granby of 1939. Use the BaladoDiscovery app to discover the entertaining and historical backstories of the many vestiges that remain today.
This one-hour tour, which departs from the Granby tourist information office, will take you to 13 places of interest along a two-kilometre route.
(in French only)
Bromont heritage circuit
15, boul. de Bromont, Bromont J2L 2K4 1 877 276-6668 Email Website
Two heritage circuits wind through Bromont: one in Vieux-Bromont and the other in the heart of the Adamsville district. The circuits feature 27 interpretation panels and three murals explaining the history and architecture of the buildings. Kick your tour up a notch with a BaladoDiscovery self-guided tour.
For more information, contact the Bromont tourist information office.
Sutton heritage circuits
27, rue Principale Nord, Sutton J0E 2K0 1 800 565-8455 Email Website
Three self-guided heritage circuits allow you to discover a page of the Eastern Townships’ rich history. The town circuit; rural circuit and the churches and cemeteries circuit. Stop by the Sutton tourism office to get a guide for these tours.
“Les Belles Disparues” fresco mural tour
175 rue Principale, Cowansville J2K 1J4 450-263-6101 Email Website
Lost treasures: Using the idea of old post cards, the Cowansville Historical Society has promoted colour urban scenes of the town to revive the memory of now-defunct buildings. The Society and its team of mural artists created seven giant detailed and colourful pieces that celebrate the history of downtown Cowansville.
Historical plaques such as museum panels accompany each mural and guide you through 40 years of history.
A Tour of the Border Churches of Frelighsburg
1 Place de l'Hôtel de ville, Frelighsburg J0J 1C0 450 298-5630 Email Website
Seven bell towers in two border villages: Discover the history of the churches in Frelighsburg and Saint-Armand. Pamphlet available at the Frelighsburg Tourist Office and on the village website.
Stanstead Township Launches a Heritage Trail
778 chemin Sheldon, Stanstead J1X 3W4 Email Website
Stanstead Township Launches A Heritage Trail
Welcome to Stanstead Township, a community rich in history. Deep roots connect the people to the place which we are proud to call our home.
Start either in Fitch Bay at the Town Hall, 778 Sheldon Road or at the Carré Copp in Georgeville and follow the circuit of 23 kilometers, to go by car or by bike.
The circuit is open all year long. A map is available on at either of the two main starting points or on the municipal website.
Walking in the footsteps of the pioneers - Sutton Circuit
27, rue Principale Nord, Sutton J0E 2K0 Email Website
Meander along Sutton’s back roads. Admire the scenery that charmed the early settlers of the Eastern Townships. Listen to music and sounds created especially for this circuit. Each of our self-guided heritage tours is a rendezvous with the history of Sutton. Hear voices from the past including a brothel madam, First World War soldiers and founders of the village, all brought to life by expert storytellers.
One of the three circuits is presented in a new format, as a radio drama, where every stage of the circuit adds a new element to the historical intrigue. The story is based on accounts by seniors in the community
Heritage Tour of Cowansville
225 rue Principale, Cowansville J2K 1J4 Website
We have created a virtual circuit to let you discover various aspects of Cowansville’s history and heritage. Lined with majestic trees, the long Main street connects both poles while revealing all the required efforts that were necessary to create today’s flourishing town.
Along this unique route, you will travel back in time through the heart of a city in full growth. You will thus discover 24 unique sites, each revealing its own history. Wishing you great discoveries!
Brochures are available at the Cowansville Tourist Office and on the website.
Sherbus
785, rue King Ouest, Sherbrooke J1H 1R8 819 821-1919 Website
This summer, hop aboard the Sherbus!
Departing from the Sherbrooke Tourist Information Office, board a bus for a city tour and learn about the city’s history and heritage while discovering Sherbrooke’s main attractions.
SHERBUS
$8 per adult (16 years and older, reservation required)
$5 per child (5 years and older, reservation required)
Free for children under 5 years old
Upcoming Schedule
Circuit des sheds panoramiques
, Cookshire-Eaton Email Website
The Circuit des sheds panoramiques is a course currently featuring nine sheds or pavilions, distributed across the Haut-Saint-François territory and situated in select locations to take in the region’s most beautiful scenery. Let us guide you through our region, where each shed tells a unique story, while letting you gaze at the beauty of our valleys, mountains, and rivers.
Explanations mostly in French.
The Knowlton Circuit
130, chemin Lakeside, Lac-Brome J0E 1V0 450 243-6782 Email Website
Self-guided walking tour. Free.
Step back in time and explore the magnificent built heritage of the village of Knowlton, founded in 1855. Well-preserved Victorian homes, municipal buildings, shops, schools and places of worship attest to the region’s rich past and its economic, industrial and cultural vitality.
Start your walk at the Lac-Brome Museum, continue along Lakeside Road and end on charming Victoria St. Interpretive panels illustrated with archival photos tell the story of each home and building. The route map is available at the Lac-Brome Museum and the Brome Lake Welcome Centre.
The Brome-Missisquoi Prohibition Heritage Trail
173, rue Principale, Cowansville J2K 1J3 Website
Through this audio-guided tour of more than 130 km, discover the characters, anecdotes and the various places that marked the temperance and prohibition period throughout the border region of Brome-Missisquoi between 1848 and 1933.
On the route, you’ll be accompanied by the voice of the colourful Alfred Carpentier, a fictitious alcohol smuggler, but whose stories are indeed true.
The circuit stops at several steps of the Townships Trail: Cowansville, Lac-Brome, Sutton, Frelighsburg and Bedford.
BaladoDiscovery
85 Av. du Parc, Cookshire-Eaton Website
Timothy, the old wanderer who hears the voices of the past, invites you to discover the beginnings of Cookshire-Eaton and the buildings that are found along the route. All he asks of you is a little piece of your ear to put his stories in!
Throughout your ride, the interactive map of the locations offers you, on your cell phone, historical multimedia information in addition to indicating your position by GPS throughout the course.
Escape Game: Legend of Lake Massawippi
35 chmin de North Hatley, Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley J0B 1W0 Website
Lake Massawippi is an exceptional place, the scene of many stories and mysteries that have inspired a host of tales and legends. One of these copies, surprisingly stamped with the date June 17, was sent to you without further explanation, and you didn't bother. However, when the date arrived, at exactly midnight, a strange energy spread through the air, the book lit up as if by magic and all the pages turned white!
Since then, creatures, characters and objects straight out of the book's stories have been spotted in various parts of the lake. The local municipalities are asking for your help: explore these places to find the elements of the tales and legends that have escaped, and bring them back to the book!
Lake Stories
696, chemin Lakeside (Foster), Lac-Brome J0E 1R0 450-243-1221 Email Website
Interested in the history of Brome Lake and the surrounding area? From the Waban-Aki past, to the arrival of the Loyalists (including the Knowlton family) and the establishment of the region's leading institutions, let Louise Penny (EN) and Raymond Cloutier (FR) tell you the stories of the places, men and women who have shaped the history of Brome Lake.
Potton Historical Tour
2596, chemin de la Vallée-Missisquoi, Mansonville (Potton) J0E 1X0 Website
Discover Potton Township, a region rich in heritage and breathtaking scenery with the Potton Historical Tour. Located in the heart of the Montagnes-Vertes and bordered by Lake Memphrémagog, Potton boasts a fascinating history, marked by a thousand years of native presence and the arrival of pioneers from the United States as early as 1796.
This interactive tour features 12 points of interest, highlighting the region's built heritage and Anglo-American heritage. Thanks to the Discovery Podcast app, explore these sites at your own pace, accessing information directly on your mobile, online or offline.
The suggested itinerary takes you off the beaten track, through landscapes of mountains, forests and rolling meadows, for a complete immersion in the area's history and natural beauty.
Stanstead Heritage Tour
425 rue Dufferin , Stanstead J0B 3E2 Website
Stanstead, a town rich in history and heritage, invites you to discover its heritage circuit through its emblematic buildings and unique architectural legacy. Amalgamated in 1995, this border town brings together the villages of Stanstead, Rock Island and Beebe, each of which has contributed to its development and distinctive identity.
Stanstead's heritage tour highlights the architectural gems that bear witness to its prosperous past, including its granite buildings, a material emblematic of the region. Along the way, you'll explore places steeped in history, such as the Haskell Opera House, a unique performance venue built at the crossroads of Canada and the United States, and other remarkable buildings that illustrate the British and American influence on the region.
This all-season tour is a unique opportunity to explore a fascinating part of Quebec's heritage on foot, and to delve into the history of a city with a unique character.
The Scottish Trail
891, chemin Gisla, Val-Racine G0Y 1E1 819.200.3425 Email Website
Discover the cemeteries and remains of the first Scottish settlers to the Eastern Townships over 150 years ago. As you walk along the Sentier des Écossais, you'll follow in the footsteps of the generations who passed on memories and customs of their native Scotland to succeeding generations. Part of the route is on foot, and part is accessible by car, motorcycle or all-terrain vehicle.
Listen to the Sentier des Écossais podcast (not available in english) for more information along the way.
79, chemin Victoria Ouest, Scotstown J0B 3B0 Website
In four self-guided tours (french only), discover Scotstown, a town rich in history where many buildings bear witness to typical 19th-century Eastern Townships architecture. A former stronghold of Scottish settlers, this charming village founded in 1892 has proudly preserved legacies of its distinctive history. To discover it, four themes are offered:
▸ Remnants of Scotstown's industrial heartland past
▸ The economic heart of the Scotstown of yesteryear
▸ La Côte-du-Rond, the town hall and heart of the elite of yesteryear
▸ Historic tour of the bourgeois heart of Scotstown
