The history of Cowansville begins in 1798 with the arrival of the first settler, Jacob Ruiter, son of a Loyalist from New York State. In 1806, this nascent hamlet was named Nelsonville, in honor of Admiral Lord Nelson, an English hero who died during the naval battle of Trafalgar.
In 1841, Peter Cowan, a Scottish merchant opened a post office there. This post office was named Cowansville, to prevent mail from being mistakenly routed to the village of Nelson, Upper Canada. The name Cowansville will gradually extend to the entire village, even if the legal name will remain Nelsonville until January 1, 1876, when the village of Cowansville is incorporated.
The first town council was elected in February 1876 and James O'Halloran, an Irish lawyer established here since 1849, became Cowansville's first mayor. At that time, Cowansville was a commercial village and then, at the beginning of the twentieth century, became an industrial center with the opening of several factories, including W. F. Vilas, J. J. Barker, Footwear Findings and Bruck Silk Mills.
On June 25, 1931, the village of Cowansville obtained city status. Thanks to the establishment of the Bruck Silk Mills textile factory in 1922 and the election of Mayor Roland Désourdy in 1955, the population of Cowansville experienced a large increase, rising from 1,094 inhabitants in 1921 to 11,920 in 1971.
The history of Cowansville has known strong moments. But, above all, it highlights the men and women who, through their passion, their efforts and their convictions, have built the Cowansville of today.
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