Vankleek Hill (locally abbreviated asVKH) is a rural village inChamplain Township, part of theUnited Counties of Prescott and Russell inEastern Ontario. It has a population of 1,781 (2021).[1] It is situated approximately 100 km East ofOttawa, 100 km West ofMontreal, and 75 km North ofCornwall, Ontario.
The town was named after Simeon Van Kleeck, aUnited Empire Loyalist who settled there near the end of the 18th century. The agricultural-based settlement became a thriving community in the 1890s, and has retained manyVictorian-era buildings with their associated architectural features. As such, it has been referred to as thegingerbread capital ofOntario.
The village has one set of traffic lights, a fire station, parks, a public community center with ice sheet and arena, and a fairground.
Vankleek Hill is accessible only by road, and is not served by any public or private scheduled transportation services. There is no intra- or inter-city transportation except by personal vehicle.
Simeon Van Kleeck and his wife Cecilia Jaycox arrived in Nova Scotia from the former BritishProvince of New York in 1783. Simeon, ofDutch descent, was ademobilized officer who had supported theBritish Crown during theAmerican Revolution. His wife Cecilia had witnessed her brother's capture and execution for his British allegiance.
As a United Empire Loyalist, Simeon was toreceive land in payment for his services, and he applied for his grant several times. The legend is that while he waited for a decision, he sighted high ground on a plane of flat land, south of theOttawa River. Simeon and his son Simeon Jr. settledc. 1797 on Concession IV, Lots 7, 8, and 9, Hawkesbury Township. Today this is the location of Vankleek Hill.
Vankleek Hill's prosperity began with the Van Kleeck's family inn that served travellers going to and from the Ottawa River port ofL'Orignal to southern ports on theSt. Lawrence River. Soon, tradesmen and merchants were established at the four corners where todayHighway 34 (Ontario) intersects with Main Street (County Road 10).
Since 1998, Vankleek Hill has been one of four municipalities that make up the Township of Champlain that includes L'Orignal, and the townships of Longueuil and West Hawkesbury. These four communities were historically linked through family and social ties, farming and commerce; and today with a common municipal government.
Vankleek Hill was named Ontario's Gingerbread Capital in 2003[citation needed]. Gingerbread is the woodwork that adds architectural detail to building exteriors and interiors. The porches, windows, gables, and rooflines of over 250 homes in Vankleek Hill contain Victorian era decorative gingerbread elements. Builders orderedmillwork through catalogues. By the 1890s, the new Vankleek Hill Manufacturing Company on Mill Street created and sold decorative shingles, latticework, verge boards, columns, spindles and brackets.
The backdrop for the gingerbread is red brick, a hallmark of Vankleek Hill Victorian and Edwardian period buildings. The local rich clay deposits were kilned to a distinctive soft red brick by at least three local brick factories active here in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Vankleek Hill is a popular through way for travellers exitingHighway 417 bound forHawkesbury and beyond to Quebec on the lone river crossing between Ottawa andVaudreuil-Dorion.
The town is the home ofBeau's All Natural Brewing Company, an award-winningcraft beer brewery that supplies pubs, restaurants, and vendors across Canada.
The Higginson Tower, originally awindmill builtc. 1832, was restored in 2007 and is open for free guided tours during the summer months. Its preservation is supported by the local volunteerHigginson Tower Committee.
A year-round farmer's market is hosted each Saturday morning on the grounds of École Élémentaire Catholique Saint-Gregoire.
The village has an art gallery,The Arbor Gallery and a local heritage preservation museum. In 2025, a local English-languagecommunity theatre group was formed.
Vankleek Hill hosts several annual cultural events including:
In Vankleek Hill twotrompe-l'œil murals at the corner of Home Avenue and Main Street East, and on the north side of the historic Methot building on High Street depict early Vankleek Hill storefronts, trades, community life, and the annual Vankleek Hill Agricultural Society Fair. A third mural at the corner of Main Street East and Highway 34 celebrates activities, landscapes, buildings that came to life in this agricultural community. There is a tribute to the military aid received during the1998 ice storm.
All three murals depict true-life Vankleek Hill people, and were created by regional artists Elizabeth Skelly and Odile Têtu.
Restoration on the mural at Main Street and Highways 34 was completed in 2021. A significant portion of the mural on Home Avenue was destroyed when part of the building to which it was attached was demolished.
The local minorhockey team, theVankleek Hill Cougars, are a member of theNational Capital Junior Hockey League.
Vankleek Hill also has a soccer league, the Champlain Soccer League, which is a part of the Glengarry Soccer League. There is also a competitive hockey league called the Eastern Prescott-Russell Minor Hockey Association, acurling club with two sheets, as well as a local sports club offering a variety of youth and adult recreational sports.
Each March, hockey players from Ontario, Quebec and the northeastern United States gather in Vankleek Hill for a 4-on-4 hockey tournament known as thePond Rocket Cup. Teams are made up of former junior, college and professional players, but also feature local players. The PRC as it is known, has become the social event of the winter in the area.
The community also has cross-country skiing trails operated by local clubSki-Vent-Clic.
Vankleek Hill is linked to larger networks ofoff-highway vehicle trails maintained by theATV Club of Eastern Ontario and theEastern Ontario Snowmobile Club.
The Vankleek Hill area has several educational facilities. At the elementary level, there are three different schools which children are able to attend:
The town's secondary school,Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute (VCI), is the only English speakingHigh School in the region and, like PCPS, is also part of the Upper Canada District School Board.
Vankleek Hill has three licensed child-care centres: two English-language centres based out of St. Jude Catholic School and Pleasant Corners Public School, as well as one French-language centre at École Élémentaire Catholique Saint-Gregoire.
There are no activepost-secondary educational institutions or campuses in Vankleek Hill.
Vankleek Hill is one of fourwards in Champlain Township, a lower-tier municipality within the United Counties of Prescott and Russell.[2] Champlain Township was created on January 1, 1998, as a result of the amalgamation of these former municipalities:
Vankleek Hill is identified as Ward 1 in Champlain Township and is represented by twocouncillors.
Vankleek Hill is part of theGlengarry—Prescott—Russell provincial electoral district. Its federal riding isPrescott—Russell—Cumberland, as of the 2023 redistricting.[3]
Its federalMember of Parliament isLiberalGiovanna Mingarelli. At the provincial level, the riding is represented byProgressive ConservativeMember of Provincial ParliamentStéphane Sarrazin (politician).
45°31′N74°39′W / 45.517°N 74.650°W /45.517; -74.650
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