It is hard to imagine that Sackville was the geographical, educational, and industrial centre of the Maritimes.

There were many flourishing industries in 1800s, such as, two stove foundries, three harness factories, two boot and shoe factories, paper box factory, stone quarries, wood working factories, grist mill, and carding mill etc..

The two foundries, Enterprise and Fawcett produced a variety of stoves, furnaces, ranges, and various other goods. These were in high demand and they were shipped all over Canada and United States (White Fence #25).

Fawcett Foundry was the first foundry established in 1852. It was the largest employer in town. Part of the reason for its establishment was the coming of the Inter-Colonial Railway. This allowed the foundry to ship its products across Canada and internationally.

In 1872 Dominion Foundry Company was established by R. M. Dixon. It changed ownership and later became known as Enterprise Foundry in 1888.