The elegant Victorian village of Knowlton is located in the heart of the Eastern Townships on the shores of Brome Lake. It is as well known for its Loyalist history and British flavor as it is for its rich collection of eclectic buildings featuring a variety of architectural styles, including Colonial, Gothic, Second Empire, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne.
10 highlights
Many of its original inhabitants were United Empire Loyalists from the New England States.
The Molson Bank existed here. One of the first financial institutions in Knowlton was Molson’s Bank, located on Victoria Street in 1899.
Paul Holland Knowlton’s grist mill, built in 1836/37, was on the site of Coldbrook Park and Mill Pond. The millstone seen in the park was used to grind grain into flour.
The museum houses treasures such as a rare Fokker DVII aircraft dating from the First World War.
286 Knowlton: Built in 1849 as Blinn’s Inn, it was the first stagecoach stop on the Old Magog Road through the Bolton Pass and the first public house in the village offering lodging, food and drink. The Knwolton Inn is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Eastern Townships. At the back and to the left of the Inn (yellow building) is still the blacksmith’s shop used by the stagecoaches during the passage through the Bolton Pass.
50 Victoria: Lakeview Inn Built in the early 1870s and known as the Lake View House, the inn has always been a destination for visitors. Recently renovated, it has a historic wall in the lobby.
49 Victoria: Brome Lea House This Victorian mansion was built in 1880 and its Second Empire style is easily identified by its square tower, mansard roof and two columns. It has recently been restored to its former glory.
75 Victoria: Tudor House This stately English Tudor-style home was built during World War I by Louis Pratt, who made his fortune selling wholesale meat to the army. Hiram Sewell Foster III of New York, son of Thomas Knowlton Foster, was another owner of the house.
8 Academy Lane: built in 1872 as a general store. In 1948, the building became the home of the Canadian branch of Clairol,
The village walking trail was once the site of the Knowlton train station, operating from 1887 to 1969. For many years, this railroad brought wealthy Montrealers to Knowlton.