Making “Merry” in Magog

Located on the corner of Main and Merry in Magog is an architectural gem known as the Merry House. Built by one of Magog’s pioneering families in 1821, the Merrys, The Merry House is the oldest house in Magog’s urban center and now plays an important role in preserving the history of the area and the life of its earliest settlers.
The story begins with Massachusetts-born Ralph Merry III. Around the year 1799, Merry made his way to Magog, then known as the Outlet, from Massachusetts. After purchasing equipment for a sawmill and flourmill from Nicholas Austin, who was leaving the Outlet for Bolton, Merry made his way to the area with his wife and eight children.
As a farmer and entrepreneur, he quickly started to develop the town, starting with improvements to the mill. He is considered to be the first settler to permanently settle in the area and the founder of Magog. In 1821, Ralph Merry III, with the help of his son Ralph Merry IV, started to build the Merry House. Before this, the family was staying in a log cabin. According to the younger Merry’s personal journals, which were hidden in the floorboards of the home and found over a century later, the house was built in July of 1821 and the family moved in a few months later in September. See full story in the Friday, Dec. 20 edition of The Outlet.