In the years following the British conquest of 1760 and the American Revolution of 1776, settlers settled in the valley of the Châteauguay River. Many Loyalists fleeing the United States, immigrants from the British Isles and Acadians joined a considerable number of French Canadians from other regions.
The village of Sainte-Philomène appears at the beginning of the 19th century. The occupation of the territory is done first on the edge of the Châteauguay River, this being the communication route serving the hinterland. From the end of the 1830s, Sainte-Philomène became part of the history of Quebec when two of its young people were condemned to deportation to Australia for having taken part in the rebellion of the patriots. The area had become turbulent during the insurrection, but it is said that the soldiers did not burn houses in Sainte-Philomène, as many of them were mortgaged to a wealthy merchant, John McDonald. The eventual loser of such a crackdown, McDonald would have given the decisions to the British army.
The foundation of the parish dates back to 1840. On the civil side, it was in 1845 that the first municipal council was formed. The mayor is Antoine Couillard and the secretary-treasurer, notary Josime Pelletier. The population is then 1836 inhabitants. It was not until 1855 that the concept of municipality was legally established with John McDonald as mayor. The opening of a first post office dates back to this time.
#Mercier #QC #quebec #Municipality #Local #Town #Municipal #Regional #Public Administration #Tourism #Event #Culture
