The Canaan–Hereford Road Border Crossing connects the towns of Saint-Herménégilde, Quebec and

Canaan, Vermont Canaan is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 896 at the 2020 census. Canaan contains the village of Beecher Falls, located at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Halls Stream. It is part of the Berlin, ...

on the Canada–US border. The crossing is at the junction of

Quebec Route 141 Route 141 is a north/south highway in Quebec on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Its northern terminus is in Magog at the junction of Route 112 and Autoroute 10, and the southern terminus is in Saint-Herménégilde at the United St ...

and

Vermont Route 141 Vermont Route 114 (VT 114) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Vermont in the United States. It runs northward from U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in Lyndon until nearing the Canada–United States border in the town of ...

, and is open 24 hours for non-commercial traffic. Both the US and Canada border inspection stations are among the oldest buildings still being operated by the respective agencies. The US border station was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2014.

Setting

The Canada–United States border between Vermont and Quebec is essentially a straight east–west line. This border crossing is located west of Leach Creek, a tributary of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

and northwest of the village center of Canaan. The Canadian village of Hereford, a small cluster of buildings, is set just north of the border, while the area immediately south of the border is rural. The crossing is three miles (4.8 km) from the

Beecher Falls–East Hereford Border Crossing The Beecher Falls–East Hereford Border Crossing connects the towns of East Hereford, Quebec, (formerly Comins Mills) and the village of Beecher Falls, Vermont, on the Canada–United States border. It is reached by Vermont Route 253 on the A ...

. A US Border patrol regional headquarters is between the two crossings. Remnants of the old Canaan

Line House A line house is a building deliberately located so that an international boundary passes through it. One such building on the boundary between the United States and Canada is the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Stanstead, Quebec, and Derb ...

still stand abandoned between the two countries' border inspection stations. It once served as a popular watering hole during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

Canadian station

The Canadian station is located a short way north of the border, on the east side of Quebec 141.

United States station

The United States station is located about south of the border, on the west side of Vermont 141. It is a -story brick structure with Georgian Revival styling, covered by gabled roof. Single-story four-bay garage wings with hip roof extend to each side, and a metal porte-cochere protects a single lane of traffic during processing. The main block is three bays wide, with display windows flanking a center entrance. The interior is symmetrically arranged, with one side for immigration, and the other for customs. Two of the southern garage bays have been converted into a restroom. The station was built in 1933, as part of a major program by the United States to improve its land border security. This program was prompted by increased use of the automobile, a rise in illegal immigration, and of smuggling during

. It was one of the first stations built in the state under this program, and follows a plan similar to that of other period stations. It is one ten surviving 1930s stations in the state.

References

Canada–United States border crossings Transportation buildings and structures in Essex County, Vermont Geography of Estrie Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Vermont Buildings and structures in Canaan, Vermont 1930 establishments in Quebec 1930 establishments in Vermont {{Quebec-geo-stub

Setting

Canadian station

United States station

See also

References