Chénéville is a charming town nestled in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. As part of the Papineau Regional County Municipality, this quaint municipality offers a rich history and a vibrant community.
Chénéville's history dates back to the mid-19th century when it was first settled. The town's first post office was established in 1864, initially named Sévigné, possibly in honor of the Marquise de Sévigné (1626-1696). The post office underwent several name changes, known as Hartwell from 1876 to 1884, before finally adopting the name Chénéville in 1884. The renaming could be attributed to the memory of a nephew of Hercule Chéné, born around 1864. Pierre Hercule Chéné (1834-1904) held several mayoral and council positions in the region.
In 1903, Chénéville separated from the United Township Municipality of Hartwell-et-Preston to form the Village Municipality of Chénéville. This separation was initiated by a request from 55 citizens to the Lieutenant Governor. The first mayor of the newly formed village was Hygin Locas. At that time, the village comprised 26 homes and six streets.
The Vinoy Post Office, opened in 1871, was likely named in honor of French General Joseph Vinoy (1800-1880). In 1920, the western portion of Suffolk Township separated to form the Township Municipality of Suffolk-West, which was renamed Vinoy three years later. On August 21, 1996, Vinoy merged with Chénéville, forming the new Municipality of Chénéville.
Chénéville is home to a diverse population. In 1996, the total population of Chénéville village was 646, while the Vinoy municipality had 109 residents. This was a slight increase from 1991 when Chénéville had 635 residents and Vinoy had 125.
The linguistic landscape of Chénéville is predominantly French, with 92.9% of the population speaking French as their first language. English is the first language for 3.6% of the population, while 3.0% are bilingual, speaking both English and French as their first language. Other languages make up 0.6% of the first languages spoken in Chénéville.
