Editing Stanstead, Quebec (section)

==History==
Prior to merging, Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and Beebe were known informally as "les trois villages" or "the Three Villages," although originally, "the Three Villages" referred to Stanstead Plain, Rock Island and [[Derby Line, Vermont|Derby Line, Vt.]], each of which ran into the next.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ld4--3_vuCgC&q=the+three+villages++Quebec+vermont&pg=PA59|title=The Vermont-Quebec Border: Life on the Line|last=Farfan|first=Matthew|date=2009|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-6514-9|language=en}}</ref>

In 1940, traffic on [[Quebec Route 143]]—the area's main route at the time—was halted due to snowfall from March 22 to April 3. Dufferin Heights was most affected. As volunteers attempted to clear the road with shovels, the snow banks became so high that steps needed to be carved into them. Trains were similarly affected, although able to dig out more quickly.<ref>{{Cite journal |first=Scott |last=Wheeler |date=March 2005 |title= Snowbound...The Day Traffic Came to a Standstill on the Border |journal=Vermont's Northland Journal |volume=3 |issue=12 |pages=6–10 }}</ref>

===Stanstead Plain===
{{Main|Stanstead Plain, Quebec}}
Stanstead Plain was founded in 1796 by Johnson Taplin, who came from [[New England]] in search of good farming land.

The Mansur (red brick) one-room school was built in 1819. It is the oldest one-room school remaining in Quebec.<ref>''The Stanstead Beat''; Summer 2009; page 20; ''A Step into the Past''; Nancy Nourse</ref>

The town grew in the 19th century, due to the influx of [[United Empire Loyalist]]s and the development of the [[granite]] industry. In 1855, the village was incorporated by the [[National Assembly of Quebec|Quebec legislature]]. The town was the main centre of commerce of the region through the late 18th century, though eventually losing pre-eminence to [[Sherbrooke]]. Stanstead was also at one time the [[County seat|seat]] of the former Stanstead County.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://simmons.b2b2c.ca/MAP.HTM |title=Eastern Townships Map |publisher=Simmons.b2b2c.ca |date=1998-09-12 |access-date=2012-01-25}}</ref>

The first automobile manufactured in Canada was built by Henry Seth Taylor of Stanstead. Taylor demonstrated his [[History of steam road vehicles#Taylor Steam buggy|steam buggy]] at the Stanstead Fair in 1867.

The railroad reached Stanstead in 1871.<ref name="LePitre2009">{{cite news | first=David | last=LePitre | title= unknown article| publisher=Northland Journal | location=Derby, Vermont | page= 29 | date=July 2009 }}</ref> Today its tracks have been transformed into bike trails owned by the regional government.

A seminary built here in 1829 became Stanstead College in 1873.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.townshipsheritage.com/Eng/Articles/Places/stanstead.heritage.tour.html |title=Stanstead's Heritage at a Glance &#124; Townships Heritage WebMagazine |publisher=Townshipsheritage.com |access-date=2012-01-25}}</ref> In 1884, [[Ursulines]] opened a convent here which operated a [[Francophone]] college.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/Ursulines-QuebecHistory.htm|title=Quebec History|first=Claude|last=Bélanger|website=faculty.marianopolis.edu}}</ref> The convent and the school both closed in 2004.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ursulines-uc.com/eng/history.php |title=Ursulines (of the Canadian Union) |publisher=Ursulines-uc.com |date=1923-04-23 |access-date=2012-01-25}}</ref> The word "college" here designates a high school in each case. Starting 2011, the convent became an elders residence named the "Manoir Stanstead" (Stanstead Manor).<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.oscarestla.com/en/residences-personnes-agees-a-canton-de-stanstead/manoir-stanstead |title=Manoir Stanstead |publisher=Oscarestla.com |access-date=2024-02-24 |language=fr}}</ref>

In 1878, the [[Governor General of Canada]], [[Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava|Lord Dufferin]], and his wife visited the town.<ref>Nancy Nourse, "Stanstead&nbsp;— a blend of yesterday, today, and tomorrow". ''The Stanstead Beat'' (Summer 2009), p. 2</ref> The main road over which they travelled was renamed "Rue Dufferin" (Dufferin Street).

===Rock Island===
{{Main|Rock Island, Quebec}}
Rock Island was settled in 1798 by Samuel and Selah Pomroy from [[Massachusetts]]. In 1802, a bridge was built across the [[Tomifobia River]] to ease access to Derby Line. The following year, Col. Charles Kilborn built a saw mill and a corn mill, then set up a dam on the river to feed them. A few years later, a channel was dug in the bend of the river. The territory located between the channel and the river was named "Rock Island".

Rock Island was incorporated as a village in 1892, and became a town in 1957.

Rock Island is known for the [[Haskell Free Library and Opera House]], deliberately constructed on the [[Canada–United States border|Canada–US border]] and opened in 1904. The original owners were a couple with dual nationality; Mr. Carlos F. Haskell was an American businessman from Derby Line who owned a number of sawmills, while Mrs. Haskell was born in Canada. The intent was that people on both sides of the border would have use of the facility, which is now a designated historic site. Visitors today may still enter the facility from the Canadian or American sides, though those who use it as a border crossing must report to their respective customs office.

Another famous native of Rock Island is Henrietta Banting (1912–1976), the wife of [[Frederick Banting]], co-discoverer of [[insulin]] in 1922. The Bantings donated some land to the town, and the municipal authorities recognized them by naming a public park in their honour in 1981 (located on the north side of Rue Notre-Dame Ouest (Notre-Dame West Street) going westbound towards Dufferin).

It is also the home of the Dairy Association Company, the manufacturers of [[Bag Balm]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.tomifobia.com/bagbalm/our_story.html| access-date=2007-07-29| title=The Bag Balm Story| first=John| last=Mahoney| date=2000-01-10}}</ref><ref>This is different from the manufacturers of the product located in [[Lyndonville, Vermont]].</ref>

The Butterfield factory closed in 1982 after a lengthy strike by Canadian workers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://townshipsheritage.com/article/butterfields-important-invention-leads-international-factory|title=Butterfield's: Important Invention Leads to International Factory &#124; Townships Heritage WebMagazine|website=townshipsheritage.com}}</ref>

===Beebe Plain===
{{Main|Beebe Plain, Quebec}}
{{For|the American side of Beebe Plain|Beebe Plain, Vermont}}
[[Beebe Plain]] was colonized around 1789 by Zeeba Beebe of [[Connecticut]]. A saw mill was established as the town's first business in 1863. By 1869, Beebe Plain had a church, two stores, a post office, a customs post and some houses. The village separated from the township of Stanstead and became a separate municipality. From 1874 to 1935, a [[Chautauqua]]-style holiday resort, including a meeting hall, a dining room and about 30 country cottages, attracted thousands of people, mainly Americans from New York and Boston. The granite industry is the major force in the area's economic history.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

Beebe Junction was the international crossing point for the 1870 [[Massawippi Valley Railway]] (later the [[Quebec Central Railway]], leased by [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] and abandoned in 1990). The line ran from the Canadian Pacific mainline in [[Sherbrooke]]-[[Lennoxville, Quebec|Lennoxville]] south to [[Newport (city), Vermont|Newport, Vermont]], where onward connections were available via [[White River Junction, Vermont|White River Junction]] to [[New York City]] and [[Boston]]. The last [[Quebec City]]-Sherbrooke-Newport passenger train ran in 1960. The historic Beebe station is now a private residence.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

A building located at 3, Rue Principale (Main Street) is in a similar state to the Haskell Library—a line runs through its north aisle. In this case, however, Canadian citizens are not allowed to access the building without reporting to the U.S. customs first, and then to the Canadian customs when going back.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

Access to homes on Rue Canusa (Canusa Street) is made through the Canada–US border. U.S. citizens residing there have to report to their customs if travelling south, and to the Canadian customs if travelling elsewhere in Beebe.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}