Stiver grain elevator and feed mill on Station Lane beside the historic train station in Unionville, City of Markham, York region, Ontario. The mill was built by Charles and Francis Stiver in 1916. It operated as a grain elevator and feed mill until 1968. The town purchased the mill in 1993. A restoration project has recently been completed which was originally instigated by Bob Stiver, a descendant of the original builders. The restoration gave it a new red exterior and integrated the mill with the Unionville Train Station. A farmer’s market is held here on Sundays.

Tags:   grain elevator feed mill Station Lane unionville Stiver Markham York Region Historic Mill old mill ontario mill

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White’s mill on Bradley creek on Whites mill road just off the Southdale line in central Elgin township, Elgin county, Ontario. This little known and former water driven grist and flour mill sits on a lumberyard property that has served the area since 1854 when Ira White and his family first settled here from Galt. White had learned the millwright trade in New York state. They had brought with them millstones at the time to be used in a grist mill but first renovated an old sawmill. By 1868 they built a five story grist mil and by 1870 had a sawmill and a grist mill on both millponds that they owned: here on the smaller White millpond and further down on the larger Springwater millpond on Springwater road. The flour mill ceased operations in the 1960s. White’s millpond looks like it has been partially filled in on the property. Today this old grist and flour mill sits in a lumberyard called Springwater Mills. The current owner of the lumber yard, Ken White, is a descendant of the original grist mill owner. This old forlorn flour mill building is one of several buildings on the lumber mill property and looks like it is currently being used for storage.

Tags:   Springwater Mills Whites Mill Elgin County Central Elgin Aylmer Bradley Creek Southdale line flour mill grist mill old mills water mills historical mills Springwater Road Whites

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Tin Mill on Uxbridge Brook, Uxbridge, Durham Region, Ontario. This mill dates back to 1860 when it was a flour and grist mill. It made Merry Wives Pastry Flour, Five Crown and White Rose Bread. It was once powered by a water wheel which was at the back of the mill and when the Uxbridge brook was much deeper. The millrace ran from the Centennial Park pond. As with most of these mills, fire of course had to have its way. The mill was rebuilt in 1920. The mill was turned into a leather goods factory in 1946 and became the town tannery. Another fire ended the tannery business in the 1960s. The current owners bought the mill in 2006 and beautifully restored it by de-charring the original hand hewn beams. Today the Tin Mill restaurant and bar are located in the building and the décor hints at its mill beginnings everywhere. I had lunch there and the food and ambience was a delight. The building was named the tin mill after the recouped tin panels.

Tags:   Uxbridge Brook FLour Mill Grist Mill Uxbridge Durham Region Tin MIll Water Mill Old Mill Historic Mill Restaurant Tin mill restaurant

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St. George Mill on Main Street in St. George, Brant County, Ontario. This former grist mill was once known as the Snowball Mill. William Snowball built the original water driven mill building here around 1869. William Bruce Wood bought the mill from Snowball sometime after 1877. It was switched to steam power in 1885 and churned out 200 barrels of flour per day in its heyday. The mill pond has since been filled in but you can see traces of the old mill race in the back. St. George Feed and Seed occupied the building from 1967 to 1993. The current owners have converted the building into business units but it still retains the old mill flavor which you can observe in the coffee shop. The Brown Dog Coffee shop and an Animal Hospital figure prominently here. If you compare this photo to older photos of the mill, you will notice that the building has now had a mansard style roof and a tower with a red roof added. The tower at the back has an elevator installed for the convenience of the upper floor tenants. St. George was originally called Bauslaugh Mills after John and Peter Bauslaugh who founded the village. It was renamed St. George after the first postmaster George Stanton.

Tags:   St. George Brant County Old Mill Water Mill Grist Mill Flour Mill Historical Mill Ontario Mill Snowball Mill

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Quance mill on Big Creek in Delhi, Norfolk County, Ontario. This former lumber mill building was active from 1913 to 1970 and produced much of the lumber that was used in the tobacco kilns that can be seen in the surrounding area. Henry Sovereen built the first lumber mill at this location in 1842. He also built a water powered brick grist mill nearby three years later. Because lumbering started to decline, the sawmill and the grist mill were sold to the Quance family in 1874. The original lumber building burnt down in 1913 and the wooden sawmill was quickly rebuilt. This is the building that is still remaining. The brick grist mill that was nearby burnt down in 1930 and was rebuilt at the time. The grist mill produced several flour varieties: Norfolk’s pride, Moss Rose and Happy Thought Flour. (It is unclear what happened to the grist mill). The Town of Delhi bought the old sawmill that you see here in 1975. It was going to be torn down in 2006 but the Kinsmen who were historic mill lovers intervened and ensured it was restored to its present state in 2008. Today the Quance mill is owned by Norfolk County. In the park you can still see the preserved millrace and dam (which includes a fish ladder) that once served the mills.

Tags:   Quance Delhi Norfolk County Big Creek Ontario Mills Historic Mills water mills old mills lumber mill sawmill grist mill

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