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Municipality of the Township of Hinchinbrooke

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Hinchinbrooke 1056, chemin Brook
Hinchinbrooke QC  J0S 1A0
Phone : 450-264-5353
Fax : 450-264-3787
Email : munhinch@rocler.qc.ca		 Maire de Hinchinbrooke
    Mr. Normand Crête,
Mayor
Director General and Secretary-Treasurer : Kevin Neal
Municipal Councillors : Elgin Macfarlane, Lawrence Bergevin, Carol Craig, Mark Bakos, Mark Wallace, Carolyn Cameron
 
Designation of Inhabitants
Population*
Surface*
Geographic Code
Hinchinbrooker
2,369 inhabitants
148.25 km2
69045
       
Photo Gallery
Hôtel de ville Aréna régionale église presbytérienne Rockburn Pont Percy
Town Hall Regional Arena Rockburn Presbyterian Church Percy Covered Bridge
 

Introduction and Background

 
The Municipality of Hinchinbrooke was constituted on July 1st, 1855. Settlement began in earnest with the arrival of Irish immigrants in 1820, though the township was officially founded in 1799. At that time, Hinchinbrook (spelled without an "e" at the end) included the Township of Elgin. The name came from an old region of Cambridgeshire, in England, and was originally spelled with a "g" (Hinchingbrooke), which English Canadians later dropped. It wasn't until 1993 that the name took on its current spelling (Quebec's Toponomy Commission).

 

Primarily agricultural, the territory of Hinchinbrooke comprises a protected pre-colonial forest, Boisé-des-Muir (Muir Woods, link in French only), as well as rivers, orchards and several notable hamlets : Herdman, Rockburn, Powerscourt and Dewittville (which is also partially situated within the territory of the Municipality of Godmanchester). In the 1800's, the rural centre of Athelstan was home to grain mills and a railway station (on the line that ran from Valleyfield to Malone, in 1891). Canada's first butter factory opened in Athelstan in 1873, now a federal historic site. (link to Parks Canada). Another important historical site in the Municipality of Hinchinbrooke is the Percy Covered Bridge, which links Hinchinbrooke to the Municipality of Elgin. Last, but not least among Hinchinbrooke's attractions, are its century-old farms and stone farmhouses, scenic country roads and quaint hamlets, which imbue the municipality with its quiet charm.

Davignon Park, a housing development situated near the Herdman border crossing into the U.S. and accessible via Montée Herdman, was opened up in 1970 for both seasonal and permanent residences. The Huntingdon regional arena, which also serves neighbouring municipalities, is located in the Municipality of Hinchinbrooke. The present day town hall was built in 1989, after the original building was destroyed by fire.

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