By Lawrence Belanger
Local Journalism Initiative
A house originally built by one of the founding families of North Hatley might be demolished by its current owners. A public notice posted on the sidewalk of 190 Main Street was discovered last week by village resident Carl Aubé, who has since been spreading the word about the potential for the building’s demolition. Aubé, who also lives within the historic district, was with his neighbor walking their dogs, when they noticed a new sign along the sidewalk.
“We thought, what’s going on?” said Aubé when he and his neighbor saw the post. After reading the notice, Aubé began organizing his neighbors in opposition to the demolition. The notice was posted Jan 9, leaving members of the public until Jan 19 to make their opposition known. The house has been listed on Quebec’s register of historic sites since 1987, as a “patrimonial architectural” site, and is also part of the North Hatley historic district. These circumstances raise questions for Aubé as to why the property’s owners are even seeking the demolition permit.
“It was Josephine LeBaron’s parents,” says Aubé, that built the house and lived there. According to him, the LeBaron family was one of the founding families of the village when it was first settled by American loyalists. “They’re the ones that opened the general store that is still operating today. [This house] is part of our local history.”
