The Lybster Mill was built in 1866 and was one of the first cotton mills built in Canada. In 1860 when it was built, the mill industry was growing due the an increase in settlers and it was a prime location due to the location of the Welland Canal nearby. This mill has an interesting story because during the American Civil War, there was a shortage of cotton in America and this allowed the Lybster Mill to thrive without its usual American competition.

The Lybster mill has since been renamed as The Stone Mill Inn, which provides its guests with a cozy atmosphere, while also maintaining the mill's historical integrity. The Stone Mill in also provides many other amenities including: Johnny Rocco's Italian Grill, Kevin Lunn Salon, OGGI Spa and Vonmar Floral Boutique on the main floor. This destination is perfect to get a sense of the beauty in this historically significant mill, while also having the opportunity to see the renovated and re-purposed mill that now houses a lovely eating establishment, and a cozy place to stay. In 2018, this inn has 34 beautiful rooms and still proudly shows historical significance.

The shortage of cotton mentioned above was due to the withdrawal of the Southern States from the United States in 1861 to form form the Confederate States of America. Cotton was extremely important as it provided revenue for arms military and economic power. The Southern States tried to convince Great Britain to form an alliance with them by cutting off their supply of cotton (77% of their 800 million pounds was supplied by the American South prior to the American Civil War) (Owsley, n.d.) To do this, approximately 2.5 million cotton bales were burned to create a shortage of cotton. Long story short, this did not accomplish what the American South was trying to accomplish and due to the shortage and "The price of cotton soared from 10 cents a pound in 1860 to $1.89 a pound in 1863-1864" (Owsley, n.d. para. 4), and the British looked elsewhere for a cotton supplier at this time.

The Lybster mill was very successful until 1869 when the war was over and the returning American competition resulted in the temporary the closure of the Lybster Mill. Around 1870, the Lybster Mill was back to production and remained this way throughout the Depression. The Lincoln Paper Company purchased this mill around 1908 and it became a paper mill. In 1911 additions were added onto the existing mill. The mill switched owners several times over the years, and later became known as "Howard Smith Papers", which later became "Domtar". In 2002, the mill closed down and was abandoned until 2004, when the addition that the Lincoln Paper Company had added was removed, and it took 8 years to renovate the original cotton mill into an inn.

Gannon, D. (September 21^st, 1998). Yesterday and Today: Volume 1. St. Catharines, ON. St. Catharines standard (newspaper). Archival Info: SPCL FC 3155.4 G36 2009 V.1.

Lybster Mill. Niagara Greenbelt. http://brocku.niagaragreenbelt.com/listings/69-mills/682-lybster-mill.html

For additional information on the impact that cotton had on the American Civil War:

Owsley, F. L. (2008). Cotton and the Civil War. Mississippi History Now. http://mshistorynow.mdah.state.ms.us/articles/291/cotton-and-the-civil-war