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 The Old Stone Mill National Historic Site and the Old Town Hall are owned and operated by the non-profit organization, The Delta Mill Society. We are a self-funded, volunteer based organization whose operational funding comes from memberships, donations, sales from our gift shop and various fundraising activities. Our fundraising pays for the annual costs of the buildings (maintenance, utilities, insurance, etc.), exhibits, and some summer student staffing. Although a National Historic Site of Canada, there is no government funding that comes with that designation, it is up to the Delta Mill Society to maintain the buildings and keep them open to the public.
The photo below is a visual representation of what our funding efforts have accomplished so far on the mill structure (the changes on the inside of the mill are even more dramatic - you'll have to come for a visit to appreciate that).
There is a long list of people and organizations that have helped along the way. A full list of names of donors and supporting organizations can be viewed on the donor board inside the mill. This page will briefly review those that have helped us.
VOLUNTEERS
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2011 Ontario Volunteer Service Awards (Steve Clark MPP on left), l to r = Anna Greenhorn (40 years), Art Shaw (25 years) and Mary Freiday (15 years)
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We are a 100% volunteer organization (we have no funding that would allow us to have core staff), and it is the strength of these volunteers, primarily the active (working) board of directors of the Delta Mill Society, that makes things happen. We also have a group of enthusiastic helper volunteers, in 2010, for the 200th anniversary of the mill, a total of 77 volunteers worked throughout the year on various activities - planning and managing the year-long celebration, giving people tours of the mill, helping out at the various 200th anniversary activities, helping set up exhibits and much more.
It is these volunteers, who put in thousands of hours of their own time, year after year, that keeps the Old Stone Mill maintained and open to the public.
A big thanks goes out to all our dedicated volunteers!!
CLICK HERE for information about volunteering
STAFF
Up until 2013 we did have some staff. These were hired as part of grant programs, originally to oversee the restoration work and then to create professional interpretation (signage and programs). The Delta Mill Society was extremely fortunate in being able to obtain the professional services of Paul George as our curator for many years. Paul supervised the restoration of the mill, the development of interpretive signage and the purchase and installation of operating machinery (mill stones, water wheel, bolter, etc.). The mill wouldn't be what it is today without Paul. We also had the wonderful work and enthusiasm of Natalie Wood as our Assistant Curator until 2012. In 2013, the last year we were able to secure staff funding, we were fortunate to have local Delta resident Joanne van Dreumel taking over after Natalie left.
From 2014 to 2024 we were without staff despite many efforts to secure funding for such a position. In the fall of 2024, Rebecca Rothewell, who had been working on our Collections Project on a seasonal basis since 2021, was hired as our Office and Collections Manager. Her position is supported by the mill's benefactor.
DONORS
The Delta Mill Society has been extremely fortunate to have the financial support from generous donors over many years. The contribution of donors, both big and small, has been a significant factor in taking the mill from a dilapidated building in 1972, to a physically restored structure and now a mill that can grind flour as it did 200 years ago.
We have had so many donors over the years, that in 2010, we set up an electronic donor board in the mill to properly present all their names. As if 2025, that board shows 350 individual donors, 55 business and organization donors and 125 donations made in remembrance of loved ones. It is donations that provide the year to year core funding of the Delta Mill Society. In 2021, a benefactor stepped up to backstop the finances of the Delta Mill Society to ensure its continued operation. Over half of the overall funding for the DMS now comes from donations.
GRANTS
While our fundraising from memberships, donations, gift shop sales and various fundraising activities supplies much of our core funding - when it comes to large projects, such as the physical restoration of the mill (1998-2003), the installation of operating equipment (waterwheel, millstones, etc.), the development of high quality exhibits and the hiring of professional staff - additional financing in the form of government grants is required.
National Historic Sites that are not owned by the federal government (Parks Canada) are on their own when it comes to maintaining the site and keeping it open to the public. Buildings and land are the purview of municipalities, so it depends on where the site is located with regard to the amount of municipal grant funding that is provided. Unfortunately Delta is located in a poor township that doesn't provide much funding to local heritage venues such as the Old Stone Mill National Historic Site. The Delta Mill Society receives a municipal grant that covers the cost of our insurance for our heritage buildings. In 2025, this was increased, although 70% still represents our insurance costs alone. The rest goes to help cover summer staff funding shorfalls. The lack of grants is a constant challenge for the Delta Mill Society in order to keep the buildings maintained and open to the public.
The Ontario Trillium Fund provided generous grants both to help with the large (1999-2003) restoration of the old mill and also our 200th anniversary celebrations in 2010 (exhibits and events). Parks Canada has provided grants and technical expertise to help us with the restoration of the building and has been very supportive of our work to bring the Old Stone Mill back to full glory. The Township of Rideau Lakes has been supportive of our heritage efforts, both through grants and in-kind contributions. Grants from HRDCS (Canada Summer Jobs) and Young Canada Works help us with summer student staffing.
FUNDRAISING
As noted above, our largest fundraising is from donations. We try our best with other events such as our yearly giant used book sale and several other fundraising events (concerts, etc.), but the reality is that can never make us sustainable. In the past we tapped into the Ontario Charity Bingo system, which did provide us with sustainable funding. But in the early 2010s, Ontario abandoned that model in favour of Charity Casinos which, by their design, have not, and never will, benefit Delta or the Township of Rideau Lakes.
We are fortunate that a benefactor stepped in, otherwise we'd be closed.
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We're Open to the Public And, with help of our volunteers, members, donors, staff, and government heritage support programs, we plan to keep this 200 year-old mill open for at least another 200 years!! |
If you would like to help us continue our work, please consider taking out a membership and/or making a donation (a charitable tax receipt will be issued for donations) and/or volunteering to help us (see our contact information below).
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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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