About North Hatley

North Hatley and the surrounding region can be described as "everything good about Canadian geography crammed into an unbelievably small area." Indeed, its logo - a sailboat on a lake against a green and mountainous backdrop - suggests a combination of mountain, water and forest.

The most noticeable feature of the municipality is beautiful Lake Massawippi. Hewn by a glacier during the last Ice Age, it is famous for its depth (Massawippi is Abenaki for "deep waters") and for Wippi, a lake monster few have seen - but, not wanting to be outdone by Lake Memphremagog's Memphre, everyone has heard about. As the glaciers carved the lake, they also created unique geographic features like the cliffs at Black Point, and the wide picturesque Massawippi River valley.

The mountains surrounding North Hatley are part of the northern end of the Appalachian chain, which runs from northern Florida to  the tip of Newfoundland. The town is close to Montjoye (formerly known as Hillcrest), a middle-sized mountain with its own ski and snowboard park and nature trails, and is close to several other mountains.

Forests in the area are plentiful, and largely hardwood - a rarity in this part of the world. This abundance of deciduous trees is one of the reasons that the Eastern Townships is a leading maple syrup producer internationally.

North Hatley was founded in 1897 at the northern tip of Lake Massawippi. Like neighbouring Hatley, the region developed thanks to the efforts of immigrants who obtained concessions in Lower Canada through the Company of Associates.

Following the arrival of immigrants Henry Cull and Ebenezer Hovey from the United States in 1793, Japhet Le Baron settled on this picturesque site. Originally, colonists lived on agriculture, wood harvesting, and the production of potash, which was sold to soap manufacturers. But the charm of the place made it attractive to rich American tourists, and in 1880, the construction of a rail line consolidated its reputation as a resort destination.

Thanks to its growing fame, it received over 2000 visitors at the beginning of the 20th century, lodged in six hotels and 250 villas. Over the years, luxurious and century-old residences have been converted into charming hotels, bed and breakfasts and artists’ studios. Other buildings have become art galleries, shops, cafés and restaurants, all of which illustrate the welcoming quality that makes this village a choice vacation spot and residence for prominent people from around the world.

Since 1982, at the end of each spring, the Festival du Lac Massawippi has offered music lovers classical recitals in Sainte-Elizabeth Church (1913), in addition to open-air concerts every Sunday through the summer in Dreamland Park. The St. Barnabas Anglican Church (1894), the Unitarian Universalist Church (1895) and the former Baptist – now United – Church (1908) are all well worth a visit. The presence of the lake gives the village a natural amphitheatre shape, which has been protected by a 1986 declaration designating part of the village an official heritage site.

Information Sources

• www.easterntownships.org
• www.northhatley.org