Cimetery Saint-George

In 1877, settlers who came originally from Londonderry, Ireland, crossed the Rivière Rouge and set themselves up in Rockway Valley, a sector of the Municipality of Amherst. The church of Saint-George was built in 1912 and demolished in 2011. All that remains today is the cemetery on the land adjacent to the former church site.

In 1894, the silica and kaolin mine was first opened. In 1911, a plant was also built on the site. Discovered accidentally when a well was being dug on a farm owned by Philibert Tassé, the operation was dry-mined and produced a fine dust extremely dangerous to breathe. Quite a few people developed the lung disease silicosis, which results in death. As a result, the plant’s activities eventually ceased in the 1940s. As you drive along, you may notice a white dust on the ground along the Chemin de Rockway Valley: this is kaolin.