Tuesday, December 06, 2016

Rosamond Woollen Company Plaque

In Almonte, Ontario, on the north side of Rosamond Street East just west of Mary Street stands a plaque about the Rosamond Woolen Company. The mill it represents has been repurposed into a retirement home and a museum.




ROSAMOND WOOLEN COMPANY
Between 1840 and 1870 woolen manufacturing emerged as a major Canadian industry. Mills were build in areas such as the Mississippi Valley, where waterpower, labour and wool supplies were abundant. James Rosamond built mills at Carleton Place and Almonte in the 1840s and 1850s. His sons, Bennett and William, began this much larger mill in 1866, in partnership with George Stephen of Montréal. For the next 40 years it was one of the largest, most progressive mills in Canada. The main building's nearly flat roof, stair tower and fenestration are characteristic of the late 19th century textile mills in Canada.

L'industrie lainière devint importante au pays entre 1840 et 1870. Des usines s'élevèrent dans des régions comme la vallée du Mississippi, où l'énergie hydraulique, la main-d'oeuvre et la laine abondaient. Entre 1840 et 1850, James Rosamond construisit de moulins à Carleton Place et Almonte. Ses fils Bennett et William s'associèrent à George Stephen de Montréal et érigèrent ce moulin en 1866. Pendant plus de 40 ans, il fut l'un des plus grands et des plus progressifs du pays. Son toit preque plat, sa tour d'escalier et son fenêtrage régulier sont typiques des usines de textiles de la fin du XIXe siècle.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
Commission des lieux et monumnets historique du Canada.
Government of Canada - Gouvernement du Canada