Brome Lake
Photo courtesy of Marc Lapierre
The lake has not always been called Brome Lake. Initially it was called Yamaska Lake – a North American Indian word signifying a place where there was a lot of hay to be found. It was only in 1792 that the name was changed to Brome Lake. In 1794, during freeze up, the dimensions of the lake were taken for the first time. The lake was found to cover 1408 hectares. Today the lake covers 1453 hectares. For the visitor, one of the finest places to fully appreciate the lake is at the Douglas beach. (photo: courtesy of Marc Lapierre)
The Duck Farm, Centre Street
One cannot speak of the history of the Town of Brome Lake without making mention of the development of the duck farm, an enterprise whose products are the basis for the Town’s distinctive logo.
The Brome Lake Duck Farm was founded in 1912 by an American who wanted to raise Peking ducks. During the winter, the farm was moved to the opposite side of the lake so that the ducks could swim in the lake during the summer. In 1939, a lawyer and a businessman took over the farm, which remains to this day one of the most important employers in the region. Even back in 1937, the farm raised more than 30,000 ducks per year.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the citizens launched an annual Le festival le Canard du Lac Brome en Fête, which celebrates, each fall, the international reputation of this delicacy.
To learn more: www.canardsdulacbrome.com
Tibbits Hill Rural School, Tibbits Hill Road
This country school, situated west of Knowlton, was built in 1844. It welcomed its first students in 1846. There seems to have been a school on this site for some time since one Freeman Eldridge, born in 1808, indicated that he had gone to school there. We have been unable, however, to discover a precise date for the first construction. Some documents indicate, however, that a school had occupied the site as early as 1812 or perhaps a few years earlier. The school ceased operating in 1928. The building was restored and opened to visitors in 1964 by the Brome County Historical Society, the present owner.
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