The Chateauguay Valley is set to star in the upcoming third season of the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network’s popular documentary series called Raising Spirits: Exploring the cemeteries, crossroads, and vanishing places of rural Quebec.
Series host Heather Darch and filmmaker Allison Kirkwood were busy crisscrossing the backroads throughout the region earlier in July on the lookout for cultural landmarks and the stories behind them. “I knew the history ran deep with Scots and Irish,” said Darch, who admits the Valley represented a break from the Loyalist history that marks the Eastern Townships, where the QAHN is based.
“The pull was that deep history, and then, of course, the people who could guide us,” Darch said, noting the Chateauguay Valley Historical Society is a core QAHN member. Her connections with Archives Hemmingford also proved to be valuable starting point, as were personal connections within the area. She also posted a call for stories on the Chateauguay Valley Photos and Memories social media page, which proved to be a valuable source of information.
“At every place we went, there were very friendly folks willing to share what they knew. I think it is going to be a really good series,” said Darch, noting the first episodes will be released in February. Some of the stops on their tour included the Calvin Presbyterian Church ruins and the La Guerre cemetery in Saint-Anicet, as well as others in Powerscourt, Dewittville, and Riverfield.
As a historian, Darch explained that she loves cemetery history and the study of stones and symbols. “When you realize that a stone has a story and a whole cemetery is many stories, then you can get going,” she said with a laugh, before noting the series branches out to focus on communities that haven’t completely disappeared. “They are doing things to make their communities viable. Like Riverfield, for example, which technically doesn’t exist but has three wonderful institutions that are keeping it on the map … There are stories to tell, and I just love that.”
Funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the series of 20-minute mini-documentaries will launch in the new year. Past episodes of the series, featuring communities in the Eastern Townships (season 1) and Laurentians (season 2), can be viewed online for free on the QAHN YouTube page at youtube.com/@QAHNCanada.