Our history
The original property that would later become the McGowan Inn was built in 1883 by Nathan Beach on a piece of land on Lake Memphremagog facing the Georgeville wharf. George E Merrick and Charles Coop were the first owners.
1885-1945: Summer hotel and store
The building was sold for the first time to John Taylor and Charles Henri McGowan in 1886. Charles, his wife Martha Barr and their son Douglas moved in and quickly converted the building into a summer hotel, annexing the Rollston store. This store was then transformed into a kitchen. The first guests were welcomed in the summer of 1886 at the new hotel, then called Gowanbank Hall, and it became a popular destination. In 1894, Charles McGowan had to expand the hotel, almost doubling its capacity, from six to twelve rooms. It was transformed into a spacious three-story structure with verandas. Following Martha’s death in 1893, Charles ran the inn with his sister Mary Jane until the outbreak of the First World War.
The McGowan House is born; electricity and plumbing are installed there. When Charles died, his younger brother, Fredrick John McGowan (Fred) and his wife Addie Marie Dailey take over the hotel from March 1930 until 1945.
1945-1986 : Inn and fishing lodge
Henry Douglas McGowan and his wife Kathleen Majorie Atkin (Kay) took over operations of the McGowan house in 1945 and acquired it in 1959. The converted fishing lodge attracts many guests from Quebec and the northeastern United States. In winter, the Maison McGowan is the village's gathering place, where you can watch Saturday night field hockey games, play cards and enjoy Kay's legendary cuisine.
After Henry's death in 1972, Kay continued to operate the Maison McGowan until 1978, when she sold it to Raymond and Betty (Barker) Waleau. In 1986, after several years of operation by the Waleaus, Ross Spencer became the new owner, modifying the property and adding the marina garage.
1987: Georgeville Legacy
The history of Héritage Georgeville Inc. begins in 1987. Shortly after its creation in 1990, Héritage Georgeville, which then had 47 shareholders, acquired the McGowan House and the adjacent marina. Héritage Georgeville's primary mission is to protect the site and property of the McGowan Inn for the benefit of the Georgeville community in the long term. This is what motivated the shareholders' financial commitment, which was and continues to be their main motivation today. Héritage Georgeville now has close to 60 shareholders.
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2021 : Auberge McGowan 2.0
The shareholders of Héritage Georgeville came to the conclusion, after a long process of reflection, that due to the precarious state of the building, the inn must be rebuilt. In the fall of 2019, the architectural plans were drawn up. The reconstruction project of the Inn began in September 2020. The opening of the brand new McGowan Inn took place on June 24, 2021.
Operations management is entrusted to Josianne Richard and executive chef Steeve Rondeau.
