Museum showcases street names with stories to tell

Jennifer Robinson

Brill, Tibbits Hill, Iron Hill, Ruiter, George Adams, and Phelps. These are the names of some of the streets in Brome County that will be featured in a new exhibit at the Brome County Museum opening May 18, 2024.

Every street name has a fascinating history, says Museum Curator Rachel Lambie. Many of them are named for the families who lived there, like Tibbits, Brill, Lynch, or Quilliams. Others got their names for the purpose they served. Stagecoach was the route the stagecoach took years ago from Montreal to Magog. And still others, like Iron Hill, were named for something that made the area special. In Iron Hill, there was so much iron in the ground that it threw off the compasses of the surveyors trying to work in the area. So the name stuck.

The new exhibit is called A-Z: The Path of Brome County’s Family Origins. Lambie says the museum tried to find a street for each letter of the alphabet, and came close. They chose Frizzle for Z and the West Brome train crossing for X. But most important are the stories of the families after whom the streets are named, she said. Each street has a great story to tell.

The exhibit runs until April 12, 2025. Information at https://www.lacbromemuseum.ca/