The history of North Hatley

North Hatley, founded in 1897, is a popular tourist attraction known for its dazzling Lake Masawippi and warm community. The territory of North Hatley was first inhabited by the Abenaki people. Lake ‘’Massawippi’’ translates to ‘’the big deep lake’’ in the Abenaki language.

Captain Ebenezer Hovey, in 1792, was the first American to discover North Hatley. Captain Ebenezer Hovey, accompanied by a British businessman named Henry Cull, created an organization consisting of 33 members. On March 25th, 1803, they were granted by the crown 23, 493 acres of land surrounding Lake Massawippi. Ebenezer Hovey received land entirely on the east side of Lake Masawippi, whereas Henry Cull was given land on the west side. Henry Cull obtained a grand total of 4, 200 acres of land by 1804. Ebenezer Hovey passed away in 1835 and Henry Cull perished in 1833. They were both buried near

East Hatley in the old cemetery.

In the years prior to 1859 the territory which is now referred to as North Hatley was known as the ‘’Massawippi Outlet.’’ The land surrounding the ‘’Massawippi Outlet’’ was split amongst three families in 1830: the Wadleighs, the Culls, and the Lebarons. The village also built its first post office, opening in 1859.

Jean B. Lebaron opened his little convenience store in the heart of North Hatley in 1888; he ran the shop until his death in 1933. The Lebaron store was also home to the very first telephone exchange in North Hatley. The Lebaron store is currently still up and running and is celebrating 125 years of existence this year!

In 1870, the ‘’Massawippi Valley Railway’’ was constructed. It was a fairly short railway (measuring 50km) sprawling from the Vermont border to Lennoxville, Quebec. The train track ran near the Capelton Mines, allowing for all the copper extracted there to be transported to major markets in both Canada and the United States. During the American Civil War (18611865), copper was in high demand in the United States in order to be used to manufacture military weapons. The railway was deserted in 1990 and was later disassembled in 1992.

The ‘’Massawippi Valley Railway’’ opened up North Hatley for settlement. The first summer cottage in North Hatley was constructed in 1891 by Mr. Eli Lebaron. In the years following, multiple other summer cottages were built due to the enormous amount of people flooding in from the south. These summer residents especially appreciated North Hatley for its more temperate climate. By 1900, the number of North Hatley’s summer residents reached 700 people.

Around this time hotels were being constructed on the shores of Lake Massawippi; one such hotel was Glen Villa Inn. Glen Villa Inn was built originally by the Putney family in 1893 and could house roughly 50 visitors. After a first fire in 1897, it was rebuilt in 1902 by local entrepreneur G. A. Lebaron into a grand hotel with 365 rooms. Guests at Glen Villa Inn had access to a steamboat to explore Lake Massawippi and to party in the evenings.

This new Glen Villa Inn was burnt to a crisp in 1909 marking a disastrous end to this famous hotel. Henry Atkinson was another southerner, from Atlanta, Georgia, who had an impact on the history of the village. He constructed a home in 1900, which later became the world-renowned Manoir Hovey, which is still in operation today.

Several novelists and poets have lived in North Hatley because of its atmospheric landscape, including Hugh Maclennan, F. R. Scott and Doug Jones. There are also multiple celebrities who have visited and filmed movies in North Hatley such as Johnny Depp when he was filming Secret Window. Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins also stayed in the village when they were filming The Human Stain. Bill and Hilary Clinton have also visited North Hatley on multiple occasions.

North Hatley is consistently regarded as one of the most scenic villages in Quebec. Today, North Hatley has an estimated population of about 700 permanent inhabitants. North Hatley has been loved for centuries by many and continues to be a gem that all can enjoy.