Memories of a ride in 1910
In Knowlton, as the Blinn’s Inn, there was the first stagecoach stop of the Old Magog Road scene crossing the Bolton Pass and the village’s first public facility offering accommodation, food and drink. Auberge Knowlton is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the Eastern Townships. Behind and to the left of the Auberge (yellow building) is still the forge site used by the stagecoaches when passing through the Bolton pass.
The first car
Dr. Edmond Brun was the first mayor of West Shefford (Bromont) after the village was incorporated in 1889. A doctor and pharmacist, he was a relatively well-off and prominent figure, so it is fitting that he was one of the first to own a car in the village, in 1913. He is seen here in front of his pharmacy, located in the house next to his home.
The first covered bridge
Near Potton, the Border Bridge was built in 1896, near the Vermont border. It is located on Bellevue Road and crosses the Mud Creek Gorge, a spectacular site. A path, located upstream, on the Hill Province Road near the cemetery, provides access to Mud Creek and contemplates the bridge in all its splendor. The bridge has been abandoned since 1960, after more than 75 years of loyal service. it
was cited as a historical monument on October 6, 2008.
A century ago, hundreds of covered bridges crossed rivers in the region. Most villages had at least one if not more. Twenty-one authentic covered bridges still exist in the Eastern Townships. However, very few of these covered bridges have survived the ravages of time. People often wonder why the bridges were covered. Some believe that the roofs were designed to
provide shelter for travelers and their horses when it rains or snows. Others believe that the walls and the roof of the bridges were used for the horses so that they could not see the turbulent waters below. The real reason for covering a bridge was to protect the bridge structure from the elements.
A simple open bridge built with beams and a deck had a fairly limited life expectancy - ten or twenty years. After that it started to rot and sag.