From Maple Hill to Minton
The first settlers to the area of Hatley Township that would become Maple Hill — also known as the “Corner” — were largely Americans, such as the Taylor, Emery, Bean and Fish families. With time, other settlers purchased land in the area and a farming small village was established at the five corners created by the intersecting roads. The first school was built in 1847, which was replaced by a little red schoolhouse in 1882.
The first post office was established in 1887, the first postmaster being Albertus E. Fish. However, because there was already a post office by the name of “Maple Hill” in Megantic County, the one in Hatley Township was named “Minton.” The origins of this name are unknown, but it has been suggested that it comes from the Welsh words for “mint”, meaning hill, and “ton”, meaning on or near.
By 1898, the business directory reports a population of 100 at Minton and paints the picture of a small but relatively self-sufficient community. In addition to being the town’s postmaster, A.E. Fish also operated a general store, while his brother Nelson operated a skimming station and cheese factory. Alexander Johnstone was Minton’s blacksmith and Rev. Paul Pergan had by then replaced Rev. Daniel Mick at the Minton Methodist Church, which had been built in 1894.
The gradual decline of Minton’s community began in the early 1900s as village businesses became less essential with the easier travel and growing ser- vices of nearby North Hatley and as farmers acquired their own milk separators. A series of fires that destroyed the blacksmith shop and one of the village’s homes also contributed to the decline. The post office was closed in 1914 and, with local children attending school in North Hatley, the little red schoolhouse was sold in 1930. By the 1950s, even the summer services at the church had come to an end. Following a fundraising campaign that was launched in 1983, the Minton United Church was restored and still stands as a testament to the community that once surrounded it.
Special note on the previous ETRC article: The article that appeared on Feb. 16 included a photograph identified as the Lafance sisters from Danville, which a reader has identified as being incorrect. The ETRC has two photo albums possibly showing members of the Lafrance family in the 1910s and 1920s. Readers are encouraged to contact us if you might be able to help identify some of the photographs from these albums.