The village is rightly famous for one of the finest medieval castles in Scotland but well before its construction the Romans settled here, building a hospital fort on a strategic site above the river Teith. The castle has been a royal residence, a rebel garrison during the Jacobite rising, a hunting lodge during the Stewart dynasty and a 19th century residence. Deanston is probably the finest example of an early industrial mill village after New Lanark. The 18th century cotton mill employed more than 1000 in its heyday and its first manager, James Smith, was an innovator in the fields of wool spinning, mechanical processing, agricultural drainage and general engineering. Today the mill building houses Deanston Distillery; most of the original industrial buildings and workers' houses are still standing. John Grierson the pioneer of the documentary was born in Deanston. The Kilmadock Society was founded in 1999 to promote interest in and appreciation of the history, heritage, environment and well-being of Kilmadock. The Society organises a full programme of talks, exhibitions and community events and holds an extensive archive of photographs, postcards and other written and visual sources. The society is always interested in recording new information either photographic or written on the Heritage of the area.