Cornwall Ontario – Recently I received a few requests concerning the history of the Cotton Mills in Cornwall, particularly which mill was in operation during what time frame. Collectively, those mills were once the major source of industrial employment in the Cornwall area, much as were the Courtaulds companies and the paper mills in their time. What follows are the key dates for each of the companies, including when the mills changed ownership. The Dundas and Canada Mills were located in East Cornwall (the south part of Gladstone was annexed in 1873), while the Stormont Mill was in the Square Mile Town. The Glengarry Mill was immediately west of Town in Fairview.
A Timeline of Cornwall’s Cotton Mill Industry:
Cornwall Manufacturing Company
- 1868 Started by George Stephen & Hugh Allan
- 1870 Suffers a fire
- 1871 Is rebuilt
- 1902 Closes its doors
- 1903 Becomes the Dundas Mill as part of Canadian Coloured Cottons Limited
Stormont Cotton Manufacturing Company
- 1870 Started by the Gault Bros.
- 1874 Suffer a fire
- 1880 Becomes Canadian Cotton Limited, Stormont Mill
Canadian Cotton Manufacturing Company
- 1874 Started by Smith, MacKay, Rosemount, Harvey, MacInnes
- 1882 Becomes Canadian Cottons Limited, Canada Mill
Photo: The Dundas and Canada Mills in the 1940s
Canadian Cottons Limited
- 1880 Acquired the Stormont Cotton Manufacturing Company, Stormont Mill
- 1881 Stormont Mill – acquired more land & built new plant
- 1882 Acquired the Canadian Cotton Manufacturing Company, Canada Mill
- 1882 Canada Mill – Weave Shed added
- 1884 Weave Shed is electrified
- 1892 Canada Mill is now part of Canadian Coloured Cotton Mills Company
- 1903 Stormont Mill is now part of Canadian Coloured Cotton Mills Company
Photo: The Stormont Mill
Canadian Coloured Cottons Limited
- 1892 Purchases the Canadian Cotton Manufacturing Company, Canada Mill
- 1903 Brings together the Dundas, Canada and Stormont Mills on December 30
- 1936 Rayon Workers Industrial Union is formed at Canadian Coloured Cottons Limited
- 1937 Officially recognizes the United Textile Workers of America
- 1937 Arthur Laverty organises the Cornwall Textile Workers Union at Canadian Coloured Cottons Limited and Powdrell and Alexander Curtain Factory
- 1948 Purchases Powdrell and Alexander, renaming it Glengarry Textiles
- 1959 Three factories closed; two became the property of CIDL.
- 1961 Stormont Mill is raised by fire on Hallowe’en night (October 31)
- 1978 Dundas Mill is partly demolished
- 1992 Canada Mill is occupied by various smaller companies
Photo: The Glengarry Mill
A New Era
- 2000 The Wood House moves to Lamoureux Park where the Stormont Mill once stood and becomes the Cornwall Community Museum & Archives
- 2010 Fire destroys an abandoned four-story Canada Mill building
- 2016 Having housed many small businesses over the years, the former Glengarry Mill gets a fresh face
- 2017 Gradually some of the remaining buildings have been converted into condos and office space, while new structures go up “commemorating” the old East Cornwall neighbourhood
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Yes great and valuable information.