Category: Tourism Trail

The Vankleek Hill Museum was created to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and interpret objects that best serve to illustrate the founding, the settlement and the development of the town of Vankleek Hill and immediate area from 1797 to the present, with our primary focus on the time period of 1797 to 1920. To accomplish this, our Museum is centred on a 19th century general store theme as a vehicle through which our community’s local history can be interpreted. This complements the building in which the Museum is housed – an 1834 general store.

Address: 95 Main St East, Vankleek Hill

Website: https://www.vankleek.ca

Phone : (613) 678-2323

The Higginson Observation Tower represents the many positive contributions made by Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Higginson, an Irish emigrant from County Antrim, Ireland who left for Canada in 1819 and settled in Vankleek Hill in 1829. The Higginson Observation Tower was first constructed by Mr. Thomas Higginson (1794-1884) as a windmill in c. 1830 to serve in the grinding of wheat and corn to further the commercial development of Vankleek Hill and the immediate district. When this project failed due to lack of consistent wind power, Mr. Thomas Higginson, (commissioned Lieutenant in the Prescott Regiment on April 23, 1839) is credited with transforming this windmill into the “first private observatory in Eastern Ontario.”

Address: Box 1010, Highway 34, Vankleek Hill, ON

Website: www.higginsontower.ca

Phone : (613) 678-3327

Arbor Gallery is located in the historic Higginson house built by William Higginson in 1856. The gallery is a multi-faceted artistic and cultural center. It offers a diversity of artistic and cultural expositions, including drama, film/animation, textiles, writing, and poetry, as well as exhibition an instructional opportunities.The Gift Shoppe showcases a wide variety of locally-created artistic merchandise.

Address: 103 High St, Vankleek Hill

Website: www.arborgallery.org/

Phone : (613) 678-6171