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HISTORY
The Old Stone Mill at Delta was built in 1810 by William Jones and is one of the earliest surviving, fully automatic, grist mills of Upper Canada. In 1817 the mill was described as "unquestionably the best building of the kind in Upper Canada".
In 1963 the last owner of the Mill, Hastings Steele, deeded the Old Stone Mill to a group of four people in trust, for the sum of one dollar. Mr. Steele's prime concern was that the Mill should be preserved and would in time become a museum of milling technology. These four people founded the The Delta Mill Society later the same year and in 1972 the Society was incorporated as a Non-profit Corporation in the Province of Ontario.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada declared the Old Stone Mill at Delta to be a National Historic Site in 1973 and it is the only surviving pre-1812 stone grist mill in Ontario. In 1978 the Old Stone Mill was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
For a detailed history of the mill you will want to purchase a copy of "A History of the Old Stone Mill, Delta, Ontario" by Professor Paul S. Fritz, 2000. This 36 page booklet is only $10.00 and is available from the Delta Mill Society.
For a detailed history of grist milling, including how the Delta Mill actually worked, you will want to purchase a copy of "A History of Grist Milling in Delta" by Wade Ranford, 2006. This 131 page book is only $15.00 and is available from the Delta Mill Society
photo by: Ken Watson
The old Town Hall, now the Museum of Industrial Technology, is in the background left (red brick building), the Old Stone Mill is in the middle with the Mill Driveshed to the right.
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The Delta Mill Society
Box 172, Delta, Ontario K0E 1G0
Tel: 613-928-2584 (office)
Email: info@deltamill.org |
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About Us