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Architecture in the Eastern Townships is as diverse as the region’s population. Due to the different phases of settlement over such a long period of time, the towns, and the buildings housed within them, reflect the cultures that came and left throughout the area’s history. The Americans, who were the first large non-native group in the region constructed towns in a manner similar to those of New England and are basic in shape and form. This was largely due to the history of the American peoples who settled the area, as well as because of the tools that were available, which did not allow for complex designs under reasonable time constraints. The larger British population that was sent to overpower the rebellious Americans brought with them a similar tradition of architecture, due to the similarities in cultures. Modest protestant churches were located in small towns with a community of houses and stores. The influx of French Canadians in the region brought the largest difference in the structure of buildings that is still seen today. Large Catholic churches and cathedrals were manufactured by communities made up of one-storey homes made to house as many people as possible. Traveling through the Eastern Townships today, one can see the differences in each town of where specific cultural groups (Anglophones and Francophones for example) established their isolated communities in united towns. As the English presence in the region was focused on industry and economics from the early days of settlement, they have created portions of towns with large New England-type houses, many small churches reflecting the modesty of the United and Presbyterian Churches, along with the occasional grand Anglican church. These religious institutions, reflecting the era in which they were built, are often surrounded by modern businesses and stores that represent a change in values and building structure. The French portions of Eastern Townships communities differ from the English ones slightly. Still present are the one-storey houses built from the granite and slate pulled out of the region’s ground, with large and cared-for Catholic churches separated from the necessary industry of the town, usually on a hill with a tall spire, marking the location of the church for those far away. The size and wealth of the churches and houses of the Eastern Townships were largely dependant on the size and wealth of the town itself, and the cultural groups that founded the town. With the demographics of the region becoming increasingly French Canadian, many churches and upper class houses have been abandoned or sold. Converted into a multitude of things from museums to restaurants, English-style churches and houses have been preserved by the French culture as an important part of history and landscape. Architecture in the Eastern Townships speaks volumes about the customs and traditions of those who founded the region.
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