Round barns and covered bridges route
Unique heritage jewels
The round barns and covered bridges adorning the Eastern Townships landscape represent an exceptional heritage. Beyond telling a part of our local history, they are the subject of numerous legends. They also reflect typical expertise in our corner of the world. Take a moment to explore and admire them during your journey on the Townships Trail!
Round barn Stanley-Holmes
The roots of the Holmes family on the Barnston-Ouest territory are profound. In 1897, Williams Henry Holmes and his wife Estella Edna Smith settled down with their three children.
After the fire that destroyed the first barn, the family decided, in 1907, to build a round barn on the land of the family dairy farm.
Source: Municipalité de Barnston-Ouest
2523, chemin Holmes , Barnston-Ouest
Website
West Brome round barn
Build in 1915-1916, it hasn’t been in use for several years, but it’s still remarkably well preserved. It cedar shingles, its pinched sheet metal roof, its dormers and its pretty turret all contribute to its olden day charm.
Source: Tourisme Cantons-de-l'Est.
35, chemin Scott , Lac-Brome
Website
The Walbridge Barn
Classified as a provincial historic building in May 2004, the Walbridge Barn in Mystic (St. Ignace-de-Stanbridge) Quebec, is one of the most beautiful gems of Quebec’s architectural heritage. This dodecagonal (12-sided) barn is the only one of its kind in the province.
Source: Musée Missisquoi
189, chemin de Mystic, Saint-Ignace-de-Stanbridge
Website
McVetty-McKenzie covered bridge
Founded in 1807 the Township of Lingwick welcomed its first settlers in 1838. These immigrants, ousted from their farms in the isle of Lewis in Scotland which have since been transformed into pastures, settled on lands granted to the British American Land Co.
On December 21, 1892, a tender in the amount of $4,314 from J. & I.A. McKenzie and William McVetty was selected for the construction of the stone foundation of the bridge and the wood structure. In 1893, the bridge was completed to the council's satisfaction.
Following the construction of a new bridge, the covered bridge has not been in service since 1950 having been declared a heritage site since 2003 and has become a gathering place.
Source: Waymarking.com
151 Route 257, Lingwick
J0B 2Z0
Website
De la Frontiere Covered bridge
The Pont de la Frontière was built in 1896, near the northern border of the State of Vermont. It is found on Chemin Bellevue where it spans a deep gorge on the Mud Brook. A walking trail is located upstream from the bridge beginning near the province Hill Cemetery and leads to the brook side,where a splendid view of the bridge is to be seen.
The covered bridge was retired from use in 1960 after more than 75 years of loyal service. It was cited as a historic monument on October 6, 2008.
Source: Potton.ca
Chemin Bellevue, Canton de Potton
J0E 1X0
Website
Mansonvile round barn
Built in 1911, the Mansonville round barn, with its clapboard siding, has three stories and a tin roof topped with a cupola and gable roof dormers. Thanks to several contributions and grants, plus many donations, a lot of restoration work is being carried out to return it to its lustre of the past.
Once completed, this barn will become an interpretation centre for the region’s agricultural, forest and landscape built heritage.
Source: Easterntownships.org
25 Rue Joseph Blanchet, Mansonville
J0E 1X0
Website
Paul-Émile-Giguère covered bridge
Covered Bridge Mill was once used by merchants and residents in the area to bring the wool mill. It was restored in 1993. The day after the inauguration, a arsonist set fire to the bridge. From the week that followed, many administrators and volunteers were busy fundraising to enable reconstruction. The covered bridge Ulverton Woolen Mill is the only bridge with an automatic fire protection. The covered bridge was restored a third, a bright red.
source: QuebecPanorama
210 Chemin Porter, Ulverton
J0B 2B0
Website
Baldwin Mills round barn
As you head out to Mount Pinacle or to the beach at Lyster Lake, you’ll find the biggest round barn of the Townships right here on the Baldwin Mills-Barnston road. Even though it hasn’t been used since 2009, and although it really needs a lot of love, it still offers a fine glimpse of the past with its cedar shingle siding and its pretty turret.
Source: easterntownships.org
1282, chemin de Baldwin Mills-Barnston,, Coaticook
Website
Eustis covered Bridge
The Eustis Bridge, which was built back in 1908, is one of only three remaining covered bridges in Quebec that feature a construction type known as the multiple kingpost truss.
The Eustis Bridge takes its name from a once-thriving copper mining village of the same name, a community that a century ago boasted a large mining complex, dozens of company houses, a general store, a church, a train station, and even a baseball team. Today, few traces of the village remain, apart from copper slag, the occasional house, and, of course, the covered bridge.
Source: http://townshipsheritage.com
Chemin Astbury, Waterville
J0B 3H0
Website
McDermott covered bridge
The McDermott bridge near Cookshire is one of Quebec's oldest covered bridges. It was built in 1886 using the multiple kingpost design.
Source: qahn.org
Chemin McDermott, Cookshire-Eaton
Website
Narrows Covered Bridge
A hundred and twenty years after it was built, and twenty-five years after it was by-passed, the covered bridge over the Fitch Bay Narrows is still standing. Located along Highway 247 between Beebe (Stanstead) and Georgeville, the old bridge, with its newer concrete cousin not far away, sits at the foot of two steep ridges that rise on either side of Fitch Bay, which is a long offshoot (almost a fjord, in fact) of Lake Memphremagog. The bridge spans the bay at its narrowest point -- hence its name "Narrows Bridge."
Source: townshipsheritage.com
685 chemin Narrows, Stanstead
Website