How it began
Dunham’s first recorded year: 1971
Wikidata holds September 25, 1971 as the start of the municipality of Dunham, a date that can just as well be an incorporation. In 1971 the municipality took over from Dunham and Dunham.
Photo: Laroutedesvins · CC BY-SA 4.00historic places on the registers
History of Dunham · Canada’s heritage registers
Dunham and its setting: 10 historic places within 25 km
For the highest designations, the closest town to Dunham is Frelighsburg, 12 km off. Records name 2 people born in Dunham before 1914; the first is Thomas Wood.
Historic places within 25 km
10
4 of the highest designation
Nearest historic place
6.4 km
Résidence George-Knight-Nesbitt
Homes built before 1961
26%
typical town: 18%
Born here before 1914
2
the earliest in 1815
Around the town
10 historic places within 25 km of Dunham
Nearest comes Résidence George-Knight-Nesbitt, 6.4 km off, in Cowansville. The record reaches back to 1839 with Moulin Freligh, 12 km away. For the highest designations, the nearest of 4 is Moulin Freligh, 12 km away.
The 10 nearest, within 25 km
| Résidence George-Knight-NesbittMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1881 · 6.4 km away, in Cowansville |
| Moulin FrelighClassified heritage building (Québec) · 1839 · 12 km away, in Frelighsburg |
| Grange Alexander-Solomon-WalbridgeClassified heritage building (Québec) · 1882 · 16 km away, in Bedford |
| Battle of Eccles HillNational Historic Site · 1870 · 18 km away, in Frelighsburg |
| Salle anglicane du complexe St. JamesMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1887–1888 · 21 km away, in Farnham |
| Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Farnham, QuebecHeritage Railway Station · 1950–1951 · 21 km away, in Farnham |
| Ensemble institutionnel de Saint-RomualdMunicipal citation (Québec) · 21 km away, in Farnham |
| Des Rivières BridgeClassified heritage building (Québec) · 1884 · 21 km away, in Saint-Alexandre |
| Noyau institutionnel de Saint-Pierre-de-VéronneCited heritage site (Québec) · 23 km away, in Venise-en-Québec |
| Noyau institutionnel de KnowltonCited heritage site (Québec) · 23 km away, in Lac-Brome |
The age of the area
The places within 25 km of Dunham lean to the decades after Confederation
Places as far as 25 km from Dunham, not in it, dated by the first construction year on their records.
British North America 1760–18661
After Confederation 1867–19135
Wars and Depression 1914–19450
Since 1946 1946 on1
The earliest is Moulin Freligh in Frelighsburg, begun in 1839. Dated places within 25 km: 7. One goes back before 1867.
Homes by age
Old houses stand out in Dunham: 26% predate 1961, where most towns have 18%
Over half of the homes in Dunham were already standing by 1981. The largest single period is from 1961 to 1980, with 33% of Dunham’s homes. New building is strong in Dunham: 5.6% of homes date from 2016–21, where most towns have 4.1%.
26%
Before 1961
33%
1961–80
19%
1981–2000
16%
2001–15
5.6%
2016–21
DunhamTypical town
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Towns its size
How Dunham compares with 16 towns its size
Towns of 3,600 to 3,700 residents, by places on the registers.
Dunham0
Only Two Hills County No. 21 has more. The middle one has 0. 15 of them have nothing on the registers.
Neighbours
Dunham and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunham | 3,632 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Cowansville | 17,269 | 1 | 0 | 1881 |
| Brigham | 2,386 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Frelighsburg | 1,168 | 2 | 2 | 1839 |
| Sutton | 4,775 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Bedford | 2,845 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby | 3,545 | 0 | 0 | — |
In brief
Dunham in brief
Dunham has 26% of its homes from before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. For its size the list is short: the typical town has 0 historic places. For the rest, its past has lives on the record such as George Barnard Baker (1834) and Thomas Wood (1815).
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Québec’s register. Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel records the province’s classements and declarations and every municipal citation, each with a description and a point.
- The federal register. Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations lists every National Historic Site, federal heritage building, heritage railway station and lighthouse; the Canadian Register of Historic Places adds their statements in English and French.
- The grade. History is described, not graded, for every Canadian town.
- The tiers. Three tiers: the top for National Historic Sites, classified federal buildings and Québec’s classements, a second for the other federal designations, a third for provincial and municipal listings.
- Protection. Here the register is also the protection: classement and citation under Québec’s cultural heritage law control changes, while federal recognition does not.
- People and events. The open directory puts its national historic persons nowhere, so a town shows one only on firm ground: a birth there, matched by name and life years, or a historic place there named for the person whose record says so. Events are left out.
Questions about Dunham’s history
How many historic places does Dunham have on the registers?
None within Dunham itself; the nearest is 6.4 km off: Résidence George-Knight-Nesbitt, in Cowansville.
How old are the homes in Dunham?
The 2021 Census dates 26% of its homes before 1961 (18% in the typical town).
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).