The village of Bessbrook was founded in the second half of the 18th century by the Pollock Family. It increased considerably in size in the middle of the following century when the Richardson Family took over the business. They built a large linen factory and "The Model Village" was constructed to house the workers. Linen manufacture ceased in the 1980s and the disused mill was made available to the Army as its main base in South Armagh. The Army left in 2007 and the mill is, once again, derelict. About this time a small number of volunteers formed "The Bessbrook Heritage Group". Its main function was to keep a watching brief on the development of the derelict mill and other buildings of note in the Bessbrook area. They are aware that the built environment is only part of our heritage and that the natural environment provided by Derrymore Wood and all the waterways associated with the mill are equally important.

During the winter BHG organises talks and exhibitions of historical and environmental interest. These take place in Bessbrook Library and everyone is welcome. During the longer days BHG runs field trips and other outings. These include the Tramway Walk, the Fungal Foray, the Wildflower Hunt and tours of local Historic Monuments and other sites of interest.

As our logo we decided to use an image which would be familiar to all the people of Bessbrook. The fountain, at the top of Fountain Street, is a modern version of the original structure, which stood there for more than 70 years. Our logo is based on a simple line-drawing of the original fountain.