Caledonia Mill

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The Caledonia Mill is a historic mill building located in Caledonia, Ontario, Canada. The mill, built in 1846, is a heritage property under the Ontario Heritage Act.^[1]

1 History
2 Features of the mill
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The construction of the Caledonia grand river mill, in its original four-story form, was started in 1846 by James Little. James Little also built the Haldimand House and Ryan House. The Mill began operations in January 1848.

Over the years the mill has undergone several name changes. At the beginning of operations the Mill was known as the "Balmoral Mill". In 1873 the Old Mill changed names to the "Grand River Mill", at which time it expanded operations to house offices, flour, feed and a grain elevator. In 1892 the Mill became known as "The Caledonia Milling Company". In 1896 the Mill was renamed " Grand River Milling Company". In 1975, the name, "The Caledonia Mill" came into being. Shortly thereafter it ceased operations. A kid by the name Ian Thompson found the deed and owns it in partner ship.

There have been two major additions to the Mill. The first occurred in the 1880s when a two story L-shaped addition was added. The second was a two-story annex added in the 1900s. The three sections combine to make up the look of Mill as it stands today.

The mill also shows the life of some of the workers who left behind information about how and when the Train Bridge was built, when their children were born, and how they would hide behind the grinders to keep away from their boss.

In 1983, the Town of Haldimand designated the Caledonia Mill a Heritage Property under the Ontario Heritage Act.

In 1996, the Caledonia Old Mill Corporation was given ownership of the Caledonia Mill from former Town of Haldimand.

[edit] Features of the mill

There are several unique characteristics that make the Mill a valuable part of the Haldimand's Heritage:

The Mill is the last water powered mill along the Grand River.
The Mill is home to a distinctive cupola, a decorative feature rarely seen in Canadian Mills of the era. The cupola gives a view of the Grand River Bridge, the only nine-span bridge in Canada.
The Mill is one of only a handful of existing artifacts from the Grand River Navigation Company.
The Caledonia Old Mill Corporation, who currently own the building, are the first corporation to be directly affiliated with a heritage Mill in order to restore it.