Description of Historic Place

The Farmers’ Market is a large red brick complex located on Madawaska Road in Grand Falls. It stands on the site of the region’s first large sawmill. The building and the land surrounding it hark back to an important industrial period in the history of the Town of Grand Falls.

Heritage Value

The Farmers’ Market is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the region’s first large industry, the Burgess Mill, as well as it association with a subsequent starch factory.

In 1889, this site became home to the region’s largest employer when James Burgess established a sawmill that at one time had more than 200 employees. Operations ceased after a fire destroyed the mill and the adjacent buildings in 1929. From 1951 to 1974, the current building housed another major industry in the region – a starch factory operated by the Valley Co-Operative Limited founded by Leon B. Rideout. Today, the site contains the Framers’ Market and the Grand Falls Museum.

Source: Town of Grand Falls, Historic Places file no. 02

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Farmers’ Market include:
- red brick industrial building from the mid-20th century;
- its location on the site of a former starch factory;
- the land along the river, being the original site of the Burgess Mill.