CALEDONIA MILL - First Millers' Day 1999
Haldimand County, Ontario
Robert Miller photo


Oldest Millstone in North America - c.1610 found in Canada at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

How Millstones work

LINKS to Google MAPS, David Sweeney's photo gallery, and many Canadian mill websites

Milling Through History
"Escape the super highways and travel the back roads along popular waterways and you will find significant, but often overlooked connections to Canada’s industrial past. Your reward may be a simple limestone wall or the rough outline of a foundation. Or it could be a working mill that is still operating the way it did 100 or more years ago—grinding grain, carding wool or sawing wood."


A TYPICAL SPOOM MILLERS' DAY
Fall Millers' Day, Niagara 2000


Pre-1812 Gristmill at Ball's Falls, Niagara
Measured overlay Drawings of the mill
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Opening the sluice gate
SPENCERVILLE HERITAGE FAIR ON YOUTUBE




"MILLS IN ONTARIO - MILLS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC"
Wonderfully detailed booklet about almost 70 mills open to the public across Ontario locations/phone&web/descriptions
by Maryanne Szuck
(PDF)
Free download - please join the Chapter

Ontario's Historic Mills
(Amazon link)
by George Fischer and Mark Harris

ONTARIO MILL RESEARCHERS
Census Data, King's Mills 1783, Servos Mill 1791, Secord Mill 1783
Maps of Upper Canada & Canada West by District & County


THIS WEB SITE WAS CREATED IN 1999 AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AND HOSTED SINCE THEN AT NO COST TO THE CHAPTER. IF YOU FIND ANY BUGS PLEASE CONTACT ROBERT MILLER.


CANADIAN CHAPTER OF SPOOM
Society for the
Preservation Of Old Mills

The Canadian Chapter of the Society for the Preservation Of Old Mills, also known as "SPOOM", promotes interest in old Canadian mills, their history, function and preservation.

The Canadian Chapter is a branch of the American international organization of
SPOOM, chartered in the State of Maine in 1972. The parent SPOOM national society is dedicated by its Constitution & By-laws to "promote interest in old mills and their related cultural features now quickly passing from the present scene".

The Canadian Chapter was initiated in 1999 and membership in our group facilitates opportunities for Canadians to meet and share interests specifically in old Canadian mills. This is done twice yearly when Canadian mills are selected for tours and seminars in a friendly get together in Canada that we call a “MILLERS' DAY”.


If you have an interest in the history, function and future of old Canadian Mills, please click
JOIN US. Only $20.00 per year which includes your personal copy of the "Millstone News" mailed to you twice yearly. Members of the Canadian Chapter are encouraged, but not required, to also become members of the parent international organization in the United States.



Canadian Chapter Spring Millers' Day 2012

Meeting at the Mill Street Brew Pub in
Toronto’s Distillery District, National Historic Site
Saturday May 12, 2012 11:00am

Tour of the District Guided by Staff of the Royal Ontario Museum
Registration Form

 
View Distillery District in a larger map


Speakers on for David Sweeney's video of Backus Mill. Click the bottom right for full screen mode.


Backus Mill, Port Rowan Ontario, is a national historic site and of special significance, as it was during the bicentennial celebration year for this mill in 1999 that the Canadian Chapter of SPOOM was born.

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