Sion Mills was laid out as a model linen village by the Herdman brothers, James, John and George. In 1835 they converted an old flour mill on the River Mourne into a flax spinning mill, and erected a bigger mill behind it in the 1850s. The River Mourne has powered industrial machinery here since 1640, according to civil surveys from the mid-17th century this was also the site of a former corn mill.
Sion Mills was established as a model linen village by the Herdman brothers, James, John, and George. In 1835 they converted an old flour mill on the River Mourne into a flax spinning mill, and built a larger mill behind it in the 1850s. The River Mourne has powered industrial machinery here since 1640, according to civil surveys from the mid-17th century, this site was also home to a former corn mill.