Magog Textile Mill National Historic Site of Canada

Magog Textile Mill was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989. It is recognized because:

• it played an important part in the consolidation of the cotton industry as the only 19th century mill where the entire process of spinning, weaving, bleaching and printing was carried on at one site; and,
• it was the only print mill in Canada until 1899.

The Magog Textile and Print Company was founded in 1883 on the banks of the Magog River. In the spring of 1884, the plant printed the first pieces of cotton in the country and will be the only mill in Canada that printed cotton until 1899. After several mergers and management changes, it became Dominion Textile in 1905. The industrial complex expanded with the addition of new buildings throughout the 20th century. This expansion was made possible in part by the growing workforce. During the 1930s, while an economic crisis was raging across the country, Dominion Textile continued its expansion, accounting for about 80% of Magog’s manufacturing jobs. Textile workers in Magog joined the labour movement, forming unions and organizing multiple strikes. Dominion Textile continued to modernize its industrial facilities while pursuing new international markets, despite the decline of the textile industry in Quebec that marked the second half of the 20th century. The print works closed in 2008, followed by the spinning mill three years later. Since the facility’s closure, several buildings are now used for commercial and professional purposes.