The Beecher Falls–East Hereford Border Crossing connects the towns of East Hereford, Quebec, (formerly Comins Mills) and the village of

Beecher Falls, Vermont Beecher Falls is a census-designated place in the town of Canaan, Essex County, Vermont, United States. Beecher Falls is located on the Connecticut River across from Stewartstown, New Hampshire Stewartstown is a town in Coös County, New Hamp ...

, on the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

. It is reached by Vermont Route 253 on the American side and by Quebec Route 253 on the Canadian side. Both the Canadian and the U.S. stations are open 24 hours a day. Whilst the Canadian station is open for commercial traffic, this is only on a more limited basis. The U.S. station facilities, built in the 1930s, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2014.

Setting

The

between the province of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

and the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

is basically a straight east–west line, whose eastern end is at Halls Stream, a south-flowing 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 into Long Isl ...

. The Vermont village of Beecher Falls is located just west of the mouth of Halls Stream; its northernmost business, a manufacturing facility of the Ethan Allen Furniture Company, directly abuts the border between Vermont Route 253 and Halls Stream. The Quebec side of the border is rural, with woods and fields in the immediate vicinity. The crossing is one of 15 in Vermont and is three miles (4.8 km) from the Canaan–Hereford Road Border Crossing. A US Border Patrol regional headquarters is between the two. The crossing point is formed by the junction of Vermont Route 253 and Quebec Route 253. A

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 ...

once stood on the boundary line at this crossing. The house was used during the

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

, as Americans flocked to the border for drinks. In the 1920s, there were three bridges that crossed between Comins Mills and New Hampshire across

Halls Stream Halls Stream or Rivière Hall is a tributary of the Connecticut River in eastern North America. For most of its length, it forms the Canada–United States border, with the province of Quebec (Canada) to its west and the state of New Hampshire ( ...

. At the time there was no US Customs presence at these crossings so travelers were expected to proceed to Beecher Falls to report. In 1929, all three bridges were destroyed in a flood.

Canadian station

The original East Hereford border station was built in the 1930s and was often referred to as "Comin's Crossing". It was a single-story white hip-roofed wooden structure with an integrated single-story canopy. This border station style was used frequently at many border crossings built in this era. This building was replaced with the current facility of a similar design in 1960.

U.S. station

left, US Border Station at Beecher Falls VT, as seen in 1933 The U.S. station is located abutting the border on the west side of Vermont Route 253, opposite the Ethan Allen plant. Its main building is a 1 ½ story brick

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

building, with a dormered gambrel roof and end chimneys. A metal porte cochère extends across two lanes to shelter vehicles as they are processed. The front facade of the building is five bays wide, with a central entrance flanked by sash windows. Single-story wings, formerly housing four bays of inspection garages, extend to either side of the main block. Two of the left-side bays have been enclosed, and now house restroom facilities. The interior of the main block is symmetrically divided into areas for processing customs on one side and immigration on the other, with additional office space and holding cells on the attic level. The station was built in 1932, as part of a general U.S. government program to improve border security. This program was prompted by changes in immigration law resulting in increased illegal immigration, as well as the increased use of the automobile for personal travel and an increase in smuggling occasioned by Prohibition in the 1920s. The station is a little-altered version of one of several standardized designs produced by the United States Treasury Department Architect as part of the program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beecher Falls-East Hereford Border Crossing Canada–United States border crossings Transportation buildings and structures in Essex County, Vermont Buildings and structures in Canaan, Vermont Geography of Estrie Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Vermont 1926 establishments in Quebec 1926 establishments in Vermont

Setting

Canadian station

U.S. station

See also

References