Heritage River Inventory
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Heritage River Inventory - Grand River Watershed Cultural Features and Values that support the Grand (including Speed, Eramosa, Nith and Conestogo Rivers) as a Canadian Heritage River Brant, County of 1 Resource Harvesting 1.1 Fishing 1.1.1 Aboriginal prehistoric fishing 1.1.2 Historic domestic fishing and processing 1.1.3 Commercial fishing 1.1.4 Collection of shellfish 1.2 Shoreline Resource Havesting 1.2.1 Trapping of fur-bearing animals 1.2.2 Collections of aquatic plants 1.2.3 Hunting of birds and land animals 1.2.4 Mines and quarries in bed or banks of river Paris Gypsum Mines Gypsum was discovered along the Grand River by Augustus Jones, while surveying the area in 1793. Mining for gypsum, or Plaster of Paris, began in Ontario in 1822 by Squire William Holme, first settler in the Paris area. Deposits of gypsum were found along the banks of the river both upstream and downstream of the town. For the first two years of mining, the gypsum was broken up by sledge hammers. In 1824, a race- way was dug to allow easy access to a grinding mill. The gypsum was sold to settlers as fertilizer and course plaster for housing. Page 1 Heritage River Inventory - Grand River Watershed Cultural Features and Values that support the Grand (including Speed, Eramosa, Nith and Conestogo Rivers) as a Canadian Heritage River 1.3 Extraction of Water 1.3.1 Direct drive power generation Brant Flour Mills (Smith's Mill), Oakland The site of Brant Flour Mills was first active in the early 1800s. The original mill building was located alongside McKenzie Creek, near the village of Oakland. A dam was established which created a large mill pond. The dammed water allowed a horizontal water wheel to be turned which then drove the milling process. Edwin Smith bought the flour mill in 1897 and operated the original mill until 1976 at which time a modern all electric mill started production. The mill was run by the Smith family until 1988. Between 1897 and 1988, it was know as Smith's Mill (1955) and E.A. Smith Mills Litd. (1963). In 1988, it became known as the Brant Flour Mills Ltd. It is still possible to see where the flume transported water from the mill pond into the mill. Today the Storjohann Family own and operate the flour mill and offer quality rye products ranging from fine flours, produced on a roller mill with sifting, to coarse products. Rye products are predominantly used as baking and feed ingredients. Brant Flour Mills is located at 14 Brant Mill Road in Oakland. St. George Mill (Bauslaugh’s Mills), St. George St. George was originally called Bauslaugh Mills in honour of John Bauslaugh, an early settler who operated a sawmill. The St. George Mill was a grist mill (circa 1871) owned and operated by William Bruce Wood and David Beattie Wood during the late 1800s. The mill, a three-storey limestone building, was powered by a mill race and is still standing. W.B. Wood later established the Brant Milling Company in Brantford and became the President and General Manager of the Dominion Flour Company. W.B. Wood was also active in politics serving on the councils of the Township of South Dumfries and the County of Brant and was the Mayor of Brantford from 1909-1910. His brother David Beattie was the Mayor of Brantford from 1901-1902. The mill is located on Main Street in St. George. Glen Morris Old Stone Mill (German Mill), County of Brant The Glen Morris Mill, which overlooks the scenic countryside of the Grand River, was built in 1867 by builder Andrew Kelman for Sydney and Alva German. The mill featuring the largest 1.2 metre (four foot) turbine in the area, converted raw wool into fine cloth by utilizing water from the Grand River. The mill's dimensions are 12 metres (40 feet) by 18 metres (60 feet). Sydney German sold his share of the mill to James McCrea, his brother-in-law. James' widow, Lettie converted the mill into a 13 bedroom summer resort called the Grand River Lodge. However, access to the resort was cut off after the Lake Erie and Northern Railway was built in 1913-1914. As a result the resort closed down and was sold to T.E. Robson for $500 and then to the South Dumfries Township for $688. The mill remained the property of the Township until it was sold in the early 1980s. Wallace Moore now owns the lodge, acquiring it by auction. Although the mill walls are still standing, the mill is in need of structural maintenance. Apps' Mill, County of Brant Apps' Mill, built by N.A. Fraser, is situated on Whitemans Creek, which at one time was a bustling and noisy place that often operated 24 hours a day. The mill produced flour, with no additives, and exported vegetables to other parts of Canada. Most of the exporting was done through the Grand Trunk Railway's station at Mount Vernon, located 3 kilometres (2 miles) away. Water to power the mill was supplied by a crib dam constructed to divert Whitemans Creek. A head gate was situated immediately above the dam which brought water along the 12-metre (40 foot) head race to the mill pond. The mill was owned and operated by the Apps family, until the doors of the once prosperous business closed in 1956, after more than 100 years of service. In 1970, Apps' Mill was puchased by the Grand River Conservation Authority. The basic structural components are still intact and the miller's house and adjacent piece of land that includes a woodlot, meadow and stream habitats have been preserved and restored. The mill is located at 308 Robinson Road. Page 2 Heritage River Inventory - Grand River Watershed Cultural Features and Values that support the Grand (including Speed, Eramosa, Nith and Conestogo Rivers) as a Canadian Heritage River Penman Textile Mill, Paris The Penman Textile Mill, located on the banks of the Nith River in Paris, was built in 1874 by John Penman. The mill was known for producing fine quality textiles and is the only remaining textile mill built by John Penman that has been left intact. The mill used water from a mill race connected to the Nith River as its source of power. The power house is still standing (2006) at the rear of the mill. The mill complex is comprised of four buildings, the youngest of which was built in 1918. The last mill closed in the late 1970s. The mill speaks to the Victorian aspirations and values that shaped the town of Paris. The sound of the Penman's steam whistle was a common feature in Paris. In 1995, Wal-Mart expanded into Canada and bought the "Penman's since 1868" trademark which now appears on Wal-Mart socks, t-shirts and underwear. The mill is still standing but is closed to the public. The mill complex was designated a national historic site in 1989 but a plaque has not yet been erected. The mill is located on West River Street. Smith's Mill Dam, Oakland The Smith's Mill Dam on McKenzie Creek was originally built to provide power to the Smith's Mill (Brant Flour Mill). It is an earth and concrete structure about 84 metres (275 feet) in length and 7 metres (23 feet) high. Penman's Dam, Paris Penman's Dam is located on the Grand River in Paris and was originally used to generate power to the Penman Mill. It is a concrete structure with wingwalls. The dam is 150 metres (492 feet) in length and is 3 metres (10 feet) high. It is one of the focal points of the town. 1.3.2 Human consumption 1.3.3 Agricultural extraction 1.3.4 Industrial extraction 2 Water Transport 2.1 Commercial Transport 2.1.1 Prehistoric trade 2.1.2 Historic human-powered freight 2.1.3 Powered commercial freight Page 3 Heritage River Inventory - Grand River Watershed Cultural Features and Values that support the Grand (including Speed, Eramosa, Nith and Conestogo Rivers) as a Canadian Heritage River 3 Riparian Settlement 3.1 Siting of Dwellings 3.1.1 Shoreline seasonal dwellings Davisville Site, County of Brant During the summer of 2004, a Mississauga encampment was identified and excavated, revealing an interesting portrait of hunter-gatherer life in early 19th century Ontario. Ojibwa-speakers who inhabited southern Ontario since 1700, the Mississaugas lived on the north shore of Lake Huron, where they fought with the Five (now Six) Nations over hunting and trapping territory. The Mississaugas led a hunter-gatherer life and moved five times during the year. In 1787, about 500 Mississaugas lived at the western end of Lake Ontario. Disease and alcohol abuse reduced the population to 200 by 1819. Fishing and hunting had become difficult due to settlement and land clearance. Davisville was administered by Methodist missionary Alvin Torry. A frequent visitor was Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby), the son of British surveyor Augustus Jones and Tuhbenahneequay, a Mississauga woman. Jones converted to Methodism in 1823 and became friends with Mohawk Chief Thomas Davis. In 1824, Jones invited the Credit River Mississaugas to Davisville. Jones hoped to demonstrate that, to survive, they had to become settled Methodist farmers. Some accepted the invitation. The archaeological remnants of the Davisville encampment look identical to hunter-gatherer camps in northern Canada, which have smashed, burned bone (90 per cent of food bone is heat-altered), few artifacts (primarily glass beads and lead shot), and dense concentrations of refuse surrounded by relatively clean areas.