Barnston-Ouest

It seems that Algonquins tilled the soil of Barnston Township between 1300 and 1680. These were followed by the Abenakis and later by Irish Loyalists, while the Francophone wave began around 1850 after the construction of the railway. While the tracks did not run through town, the railway was responsible for an influx of Francophones to the Coaticook MRC. Today, residents live in the hamlets of Way’s Mills and Kingscroft, which make up Barnston-West since 1946. An American tweed and flannel manufacturer, L.S. Way, arrived in 1808, leaving his name to the village that crosses the Niger River and which can be found along Holmes Road. The hamlet of Kingscroft was named after Ira King, an innkeeper who set up his establishment in 1810. In effect, Kingscroft signifies “paddock, King’s pasture.” Apart from the eight bridges that cross the Niger, the area’s main attractions are a United Church (1881),read more > the Epiphany Church (1888), the Holmes round barn (1907), and a fire station equipped with a tower used for drying hoses (1952).