Beebe Plain, Vermont

For the Canadian side of this binational town, see Stanstead, Quebec.

Heading west on Canusa St., the border is determined by the yellow road line, making houses on the left fall under American jurisdiction, while the right side is governed by Canada. Both sides are part of Beebe Plain, however.

Beebe Plain is an unincorporated village in the town of Derby in Orleans County, Vermont, United States situated on the border between Canada and the United States.

Geography

The international border runs up the middle of Canusa Street (Quebec Route 247). Local legend claims that a group of rather drunken surveyors, when given the task of determining the United States-Canada border line in the region (nominally at 45.00°N), decided to place the border right through the center of the village along what is now Canusa Street.

Beebe Plain is part of a group of nearby border villages which includes Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec. Beebe Plain is located near Lake Memphremagog between Newport and Magog.

Industry

Beebe granite or "Stanstead Grey Granite" is famous for its use in architectural design; the production of granite from the region may well be the largest industry, with much of the stone being used in the construction of tombstones and memorials.

History

The village was founded circa 1789 by Zeba Beebe of Connecticut.

A former rail line which once joined Sherbrooke to Beebe before crossing the U.S. border was abandoned and removed by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1989–1991; the former right-of-way remains open for recreational use.

External links

• Boston magazine — Danger at our door