Municipality of the Township of Elgin

The Municipality of the Township of Elgin was constituted on July 1st, 1855. It is located between the Trout and Chateauguay Rivers and is bounded by the Canada-US border and the municipalities of Godmanchester and Hinchinbrooke.

Elgin's history as a political and legal entity is unique. It was founded by Scottish colonists of the Township of Hinchinbrooke, even though the majority of its inhabitants were Irish immigrants, and was named in honour of the Scottish Lord Elgin (James Bruce, 1811-1863) upon his nomination as Governor General of the Province of Canada.

It's territory is made up entirely of farmland and forests, where fieldstone homes and farm operations, many biologically-certified, can be found. Not far from Elgin's townhall is a local landmark, an old Presbyterian Church, known today as the Kelso Hall, where volunteers host a cultural program during the summer. Elgin is also home to the Trout River Golf Club and has two border crossings into the U.S.: Trout River via Route 138 and Jamieson Line on the Jamieson Road.

The legendary Powerscourt Covered Bridge (also known as Percy Bridge), which joins the Townships of Elgin and Hinchinbrooke across the Chateauguay River, was built in 1861, and is the oldest and only remaining example of a structure built in the McCallum style in North Amercia.   It was classified as an Historic Monument by the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications in 1987 and has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada.

*Source, Population and Surface: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.