The founding members of the Historical Society of Argenteuil County
![Black and white photograph of the nine founding members of the Historical Society of Argenteuil County. They are standing in front of and on the stairs of a large stone house with columns and dark shutters. Maude Abbott is second from left, wearing a black dress with white polka dots and a dark hat. The other three women are wearing smart dresses and hats and the five men are wearing suits.](https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/maude-elizabeth-seymour-abbott/wp-content/uploads/sites/104/2020/10/17.1.1.jpg)
Photograph taken in 1936 of the founding members of the Historical Society of Argenteuil County in front of the MacKay residence in St. Andrews. Front row, left to right: Colonel L. M. Hooker, Dr. Maude Abbott, Mrs. G. F. W. Kuhring, Dr. Benjamin N. Wales, Mrs. Cushing and Dr. H. B. Cushing. On the steps of the balcony behind them: J. S. Giles, Dr. J. P. Lanctôt and Beatrice Robertson.
A. N. MacKay was a criminal lawyer. He moved to St. Andrews in 1862, where he had this magnificent house with columns built by Frank Farrish. At the time of the photo, the house belonged to Dr. Lanctôt. Today, it has been converted into a residence for people with Alzheimer’s disease.