History of Cheticamp Hooked Rugs

Located in Cheticamp, a small fishing community nestled on the northwest coast of Cape Breton. It is well known for its French Acadian culture and deep-rooted traditions, one of which is rug hooking. At first, woolen remnants and rags were cut into strips and made into hooked mats for homes, more for daily practical use than for its decorative value.

In the 1920s, Miss Lilian Burke, an American artist from New York, came to Cape Breton to teach art to the children of Alexander Graham Bell, the telephone inventor. Miss Burke eventually came to Cheticamp and taught the local craft women/artist how to dye their wool and also to use fine wool in the art of rug hooking. She would design the rugs she wanted and brought them to market in New York.

In the 1930s, the women of Cheticamp decided to make their own design and sell their finished products. As the tourist industry developed, craft shops selling locally made hooked rugs were sold everywhere in Cheticamp.