Castle Kilbride is the former residence of James Livingston, a Canadian member of parliament, and owner of flax and linseed oil mills.

The major feature of Castle Kilbride is the interior decorative murals in the style of the Italian Renaissance.

[4] Arriving to Canada impoverished , he migrated to Baden, and began working with his older brother John to earn simple wages to keep themselves.

Over the course of a little more than ten years James and John’s mill processed fifty-five tons of flax.

Livingstone’s choice of crops was judicious; at the time there was a high demand for alternative textiles to cotton.

This was due to the aftermath of Civil War in The United States causing massive devastation to the cotton industry.

In order to encourage preservation efforts, and in recognition of its interior decoration, Castle Kilbride was declared a National Historic Site in 1995.

[3] Today, Castle Kilbride serves as an event venue and museum, displaying original furniture and household items as well as contemporary artifacts.