Historic Dunham

Historic Dunham - stone houses, flowers, apples and wine

By M. Helmuth Starhemberg
Every spring Dunham sparkles with flowers, hanging baskets are everywhere, the well tended lawns and gardens have flower borders and the stateful old stone houses which give this town such a distinctive flavor, stand gracefully amidst all that bloom.
In Dunham tourism is pretty much a summer and fall issue because this is where people from all over the province come to sample every imaginable berry, gather pears and later apples, and visit the many vineyards. In spring the added beauty of the apple trees in full bloom is also a wonderful sight. Apple orchards stand in the dozens and a great variety is grown here. While many apples are sold to area stores and supermarkets, a goood number go to an apple factory in nearby Frelighsburg to be processed into apple juice.

In summer there are numerous hiking trails but of late, Dunham has been attracting bicycle tourists as well because the road to Bedford winds through magnificent vineyards and berry farms and the road to Frelighsburg is equallly scentic with tens of thousands of appple trees on either side of the trail. Water sports enthusiasts may enjoy the sparkling clean Selby lake just three kilometrer from the town's center.
In fall it is all about wine. All the vineyards do wine tastings, sell wine on the promises, some have special activities, one even has a fine sculpture garden which shows off the works of local artists. This is also a good time to visit the local pear orchard or later in fall, to pick up a holloween pumpkin because everywhere on the road to Cowansville, the fields are dotted with the bright orange of this years pumpkin harvest.

Three stately old churches serve the town and the large farming community and numerous restaurants are available to visitors. There is even a local micro brewery, a fine artesinal bakery, antiques stores and a number of equestrian centers to delight horse lovers. Any visitor to the area is well advised to make some time to visit this delightful historic town.