The town was settled by British soldiers after the War of 1812 and the fertile land in the area led to a successful farming economy.

[5] During the first few decades of the 20th century, when transport from major urban centers to the outlying rural areas became economically feasible, the textile industry began expanding at a rapid rate in various towns throughout the province of Quebec.

The decades of the 1950s through to the early part of the 1970s saw the town prosper and the company acquire subsidiaries in Sherbrooke, Quebec and in Castlecomer, Kilkenny, Ireland.

On January 28, 2005, Mayor Stéphane Gendron announced that the town was purchasing the five textile plants that were closing with the expectation that they could be sold to new businesses.

The controversial bylaw held parents responsible for their children's activities through fines if a child was caught in violation of the curfew.

List of former mayors:[10] The CIT du Haut-Saint-Laurent formerly provided commuter and local bus service, until it was cut back to Ormstown and Sainte-Martine.

In 2017, Transcontinental sold Le Journal St-Francois (including The Gleaner) to a regional media company, Gravité Média.

In November 2018, a public meeting was held in Ormstown, along with representatives from Gravité Média, to discuss the possibilities surrounding the community acquiring the rights to continue publishing The Gleaner.