About The Museum

While the collection of documents and artefacts was among its principal aims since its foundation in 1929, the Stanstead Historical Society did not posses adequate space for the presentation of its collection until 1973. In that year, Charles C. Colby and Arthur Curtis were instrumental in funding the first actual museum, which was named in their honour: The Colby-Curtis Museum. The converted schoolhouse in Beebe that housed the museum was a delight for members and visitors who could now, for the first time, enjoy full access to the Society’s archival documents and collections. In order to house the Society’s extensive agricultural collection, Lady Banting lent the Society the use of her barn in Rock Island.  

In 1986, the Society sold the converted school in Beebe and bought a property in Stanstead, the former R.C.M.P. building on Dufferin Street, in order to accommodate the collection. Finally, in 1992, the Colby family donated their magnificent ancestral home, “Carrollcroft,” with all its contents to the Stanstead Historical Society. Since then, Carrollcroft, a classical Revival-style villa, built in 1859, has been the home for the Colby-Curtis Museum.

The Colby-Curtis Museum strives to become a leader in preservation of heritage in the Eastern Townships, and to be acknowledged for institutional sustainability, quality of programming, and strength of ties with the border community.

The Colby-Curtis Museum is guided by a strong social vision and actively contributes to the cultural development of its region. Collections support this vision, which is embodied in education, communications and programming. The exhibitions, at the intersection of social sciences, humanities, arts and critical theory, foster partnerships and community engagement. The Colby-Curtis aims to bring into dialogue archives, historical objects, vernacular art practices, and artworks both historical and contemporary.