Old Stone Mill, Delta, Ontario

People Associated with the Old Stone Mill

Click on any photo to see a larger version

$Walter Henderson Denaut (1807-1889) - c.1870\n\nWalter Henderson Denaut purchased the Old Stone Mill in February 1850 and ran it until he died in 1889.\n\nIn his personal life, he had 4 children with Julia Easton; sons Roderick Easton (1845-1876), George Crawford (1847-1874), Walter Henderson (1850-1903) and a daughter, Julia Easton (1854-1928). His wife Julia died in 1855. While there is conflicting genealogical information, it appears he married Harriet Jones of Brookfield, Connecticut, perhaps in 1856. She died on July 30, 1858. On May 17, 1859, he married Caroline Amelia Dunham (1832-1907) of Brockville and they had seven children, Erastus (1860-1861), Edward D. (1861-1862), Matthew Stevenson (18631928), Caroline Elizabeth (18661947), Henry Duncan (18671904), Sarah (1869-1937) and James Lancaster (1870-1952). \n\nHe took a money losing mill and with investments and shrewd business acument, turned it into a profit making operation.\n\nHe also kept up with the latest technogy, converting the mill from waterwheel to turbine power and direct connect wooden gearing to belt and pulley gearing in the early 1860s.$	$Caroline Amelia Dunham Denaut (1832 - 1907), c.1870\n\nCaroline married Walter Denaut on May 17, 1859 and they had seven children. The youngest, James (1870-1952), would operate the mill with Caroline after Walter's death in 1889.$
	$Roderick Easton Denaut (1845-1876) - c.1870\n\nRoderick was the eldest son of Walter Denaut's and Julia Easton. He became a photographer and ran a photo studio in Delta from 1867 to 1874. \n\nThis is likely a self-portrait taken in his Delta studio.\n\nHe contracted tuberculosis in about 1874/75 and died in 1876.$	$Walter Henderson Denaut Jr. (1850-1903) - c.1870\n\nWalter was the third son of Walter Denaut and Julia Easton. This photo was taken Roderick Denaut's Delta photo studio.$	$Hastings Steele (1879-1964) - c.1900\n\nHastings Steele was born on April 17, 1879 in Westport. Together with his brother-in-law, James Huffman, he purchased the Old Stone Mill from George Haskin on March 14, 1913.\n\nHis partnership with his brother-in-law lasted less than a year, it was dissolved on March 4, 1914. There are various stories regarding how this was done, a plausible one is that they held a private auction, with Steele outbidding Huffman. Steele formed a new business partnership with Omer P. Arnold which continued until 1921. \n\nThe mill closed in 1960 and in 1963 he sold the mill to four trustees for $1. Those trustees then formed the Delta Mill Society.$
$Hastings Steele (1879-1964), c.1946\n\nHere we see Hastings sitting on a large log in front of the sawmill which was located over the bywash and attached to the Turbine Hall.$	$Hastings Family, c.late 1950s\n\nHastings in second left in back row.$	$Hastings Steele (1879-1964), c.1963\n\nHere we see Hastings by an old flour chute in the Old Stone Mill, likely the year he sold it to the four trustees who then formed the Delta Mill Society.$

Return to Photo Gallery Return to Home Page