Lake Massawippi is a freshwater lake in Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality

Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality, Quebec

Memphrémagog is a Quebec Regional County Municipality in Canada.-History:After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, the American Revolutionary War ended with the establishment of the state of Vermont. The border of Upper Canada was then defined at approximately 45 degrees north...

 in the Eastern Townships

Eastern Townships

The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...

 region of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The Tomifobia River

Tomifobia River

The Tomifobia River is a flowing body of fresh water in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. The river forms a part of an international border between Canada and the United States near the village of Beebe Plain, Vermont.-Course:...

 is the source of the lake at its southern tip, near the village of Ayer's Cliff, Quebec

Ayer's Cliff, Quebec

Ayer's Cliff is a village on Lake Massawippi, near the mouth of the Tomifobia River, part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec located just north of the Vermont/Canada border....

. In early records, the lake was also called "Lake Tomifobi". The current of the lake flows north, funneling into the Massawippi River at the village of North Hatley, Quebec

North Hatley, Quebec

North Hatley is a village of 750 people, located at the north end of Lake Massawippi. It is in the county of Stanstead, which is part of the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, also known as Estrie or Cantons de l'Est in French. It is a haven for...

 on Massawippi's northern shore.

A popular summer destination for wealthy Americans in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, industrialist Foxhall P. Keene

Foxhall P. Keene

Foxhall Parker Keene was an American thoroughbred race horse owner and breeder, a World and Olympic Gold Medallist in polo. He was rated the best all-around polo player in the United States for eight consecutive years, a golfer who competed in the U.S...

, writer Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair

Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...

, and the Barron family (of Barron's Magazine

Barron's Magazine

Barron's is an American weekly newspaper covering U.S. financial information, market developments, and relevant statistics. Each issue provides a wrap-up of the previous week's market activity, news reports, and an informative outlook on the week to come....

) were among those who owned seasonal estates on the lake. Today Lake Massawippi is the site of two luxury hotels — Hovey Manor

Hovey Manor

Manoir Hovey, or Hovey Manor, is a five-star inn and a member of the Relais & Chateaux association located in the village of North Hatley, in Quebec, Canada. North Hatley, a resort town on Lake Massawippi, owes most of its grand houses and particular architecture to the first summer people –...

 and the Ripplecove Inn. In 2003, French President Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac

Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...

spent his summer holiday in a private cottage on the lake.