Waterloo

Waterloo was developed by Loyalists at the end of the 1790s and prospered over the course of the next century. Waterloo is considered the Cycling Capital of Canada.

From about 1860 to 1890, Waterloo experienced a golden age, whose legacy is still visible to this day. This period commenced with the arrival of the Stanstead, Shefford & Chambly Railroad in 1861 and the industrial, commercial and residential boom that followed. As a result of this accelerated development, the population of Waterloo increased from about 400 to 2,500 between the arrival of the railroad and 1875. As the main commercial and administrative centre of the region, Waterloo mobilized a  middle class, mainly of Anglo-British origin, which included industrialists, businessmen, lawyers and physicians. These people built homes that reflected their social status in the growing community.

Although he was not the first to settle in the area, it was Hezekiah Robinson who, around 1822, proposed the name Waterloo for this community. Following the suggestion of his father-in-law, Judge Almus Knowlton, he proposed that the village would commemorate Wellington's victory over Napoleon's army. 

Though the grand hotels and industries of the golden age of Waterloo have disappeared over the years, the town has managed to preserve its rich heritage of splendid homes and institutions which still speak of their former glory.

Waterloo Tourist information (5491, rue Foster, Waterloo, 450 539-4650, www.ville.waterloo.qc.ca/tourisme): Tourist office covering the city of Waterloo. Seasonal office. Opening hours: Usually from June to Thanksgiving, daily from 10 – 6.


Heritage tour: Circuit du patrimoine avec panneaux d'interprétations. Discover close to 140 years of history on this seven-kilometre circuit.

• St. Luke’s Anglican Church (1869-1870), a magnificient brick bulding.
• St.Paul's United Church (1869) (off the circuit)
• Presbytery of the Catholic parish Saint-Bernadin-de-Sienne (1888-1890) (off the circuit)
• CIBC Bank  (1914)
• Waterloo Cemetery (around 1810)
• Several homes dating from 1834 to 1913


La Maison de la culture (441, rue de la Cour, Waterloo, 450 539-4764 ou 1 877 539-4764, www.mcwaterloo.com): In 1913, local freemasons purchased the Universalist church, built in 1870, and turned it into a masonic temple.

The edifice was given up by the masons in the 1970s and changed vocation once again in the 1990s, becoming the Maison de la Culture de Waterloo, a concert hall and cultural centre that is recognized as one of the loveliest venues of its kind in Quebec. The hall has been renovated and is now air-conditioned.