Old Mills of Ontario

Sorry that I have not been great at keeping up my blog. This week I was out and about with my photo group and saw many new spots and mills around Ontario.

The Mills that we visited are the Lang Mill, Hope Mill, Baltmore Mill, Molson Mill and a couple of others.

Lang Mill

In 1846, Thomas Short, later member of the Parliament of Canada for Peterborough County, erected this stone flour mill here on the Indian River. Within five years he had built a sawmill across the river and had laid out a village plot named Allandale. By 1858, the Allandale Flour Mill, which now also housed an oatmeal mill, had become one of the largest in the region and was exporting large quantities of its products. Short encountered financial difficulties however, and lost possesion of the mill in 1862. The village and the mill were re-named Lang after William Lang about 1872. The mill, whose interior was rebuilt by W.J.Humphries after a fire in 1896, continued in operation until 1965 when it was purchased by the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority.

Hope Mill.

The Hope Mill was built on the bank of the Indian River in the early 1800's. The mill and dam remain on their original site, contributing to the unique character of this historic landmark of Peterborough County. The Hope Mill and dam are owned by Otonabee Conservation. The heritage restoration efforts are being undertaken by the Otonabee Conservation Foundation.

Molson Mill

On the Ganaraska River at Port Hope Molson's Mill was built in the mid 1850's by Thomas Molson. The mill was originally operated as a saw and gristmill and later used by the Ontario College of Art.