An invisible border

Photo of a road sign stating “45th Parallel, half-way between the equator and the North Pole.”

Equidistant between the equator and the North Pole, the 45th parallel became the official border between Sutton Township and Vermont in 1842.

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed in 1842, finally fixed the Canada-U.S. border between southern Québec and the State of Vermont at the 45th Parallel of North Latitude.

This new border crosses the landscape regardless of what it divides: a cemetery, a farm, a house or even a border post.

View of a cemetery that crosses the border; some graves are in Canada and others in the United States. Once again, the border isn’t marked. The Boundary Commission considered placing a granite marker of its own among the headstones, but it later decided it was best to let these souls rest in peace in the country where they thought they were buried.

This cemetery where both Canadians and Americans lie buried straddles the border between East Richford and Glen Sutton.

Arial view of the Hurtubise property showing that the 45th Parallel splits the farm and their house in two.

The border between Richford and Abercorn cuts through a farm run by the Hurtubise family. Part of their land and part of their house is in Canada.

The boundary line brushes against the barn as shown by the white border marker and the cleared trench that stretches to the horizon.

This photo of part of the Hurtubise barn clearly shows the boundary line between the two countries.

Photo of the J.M. Hill General Store, also a Morse's Line customs post. Above the door, the words Canada and U.S.A. indicate which side of the border you’re standing on.

The border post at Morse’s Line was housed in a general store built astride the border

A symbolic border The early days of the border