Dawn Mills, Ontario
Encyclopedia
In 1837, William Taylor
and James Smith erected a saw
, grist
and wool
mill
on the banks of the Sydenham River
in Camden Township of Kent County, Ontario
near Dresden, Ontario
. The mills were welcomed by residents at Dawn Mills who previously had to transport their produce for milling to Detroit by canoe
. An early road
was built here near the Sydenham River which connected the mill settlements.
The town grew to six streets, three hotel
s, church and a store
. The population was around 100.
In the 1860s a railway system was constructed in southern Ontario. Stations were built, and tracks
were laid at the bigger (and also purpose-established) towns. As had many other communities the region, Dawn Mills lost industries to competition from larger milling enterprises elsewhere. By the early 1900s Dawn Mills became a ghost town
. The post office
closed in 1918.
The church in Dawn Mills still stands, purchased by a Mennonite
congregation in the 1990s. The building was built as a Methodist church. It became a United Church and part of the Dawn Mills Pastoral Charge (comprising Dawn Mills, Wabash and Lindsay Road United Churches) in 1925, after church union. The charge was discontinued in 1968, and the building was sold to Dawn Mills community members for $1. The Dawn Mills Good Will Workers held regular meetings and social events there for a number of years. The hall was also rented out for family birthday parties, community wedding showers, etc.
The Old Colony Mennonite Church first rented, and later purchased the church building. The original stained glass windows, donated by the Elgie and the Holmes families, were removed.
The general store
and post office is now a home, as well as the church manse
. The community is mainly farm
-related now, and several residents including the Elgie family have tried to maintain the history of the Dawn Mills community.
William Taylor
William Taylor was a British scholar, polyglot, and translator of German romantic literature.-Early life:He was born in Norwich, East Anglia, England on 7 November 1765, the only child of William Taylor , a wealthy Norwich merchant with European trade connections, by his wife Sarah , second...
and James Smith erected a saw
Saw
A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...
, grist
Grist
Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a grist mill. Its etymology derives from the verb grind....
and wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
mill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
on the banks of the Sydenham River
Sydenham River
The Sydenham River is a river in Kent County, Lambton County and Middlesex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, flowing southwest from its source west of London, Ontario and emptying into Lake Saint Clair. The length of the river is and it drains a watershed of approximately 2,700 square...
in Camden Township of Kent County, Ontario
Kent County, Ontario
Kent County, area 2,458 sq km is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. Population in 2006 was 108,589.The county was created in 1792 and named by John Graves Simcoe in honour of the English County. The county is in an alluvial plain between Lake St...
near Dresden, Ontario
Dresden, Ontario
Dresden is a community in southwestern Ontario, Canada, part of the municipality of Chatham-Kent. Dresden is best known as the home of Josiah Henson, the former U.S. slave whose life story was the inspiration for the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin...
. The mills were welcomed by residents at Dawn Mills who previously had to transport their produce for milling to Detroit by canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
. An early road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
was built here near the Sydenham River which connected the mill settlements.
The town grew to six streets, three hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, church and a store
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
. The population was around 100.
In the 1860s a railway system was constructed in southern Ontario. Stations were built, and tracks
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
were laid at the bigger (and also purpose-established) towns. As had many other communities the region, Dawn Mills lost industries to competition from larger milling enterprises elsewhere. By the early 1900s Dawn Mills became a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. The post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
closed in 1918.
The church in Dawn Mills still stands, purchased by a Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
congregation in the 1990s. The building was built as a Methodist church. It became a United Church and part of the Dawn Mills Pastoral Charge (comprising Dawn Mills, Wabash and Lindsay Road United Churches) in 1925, after church union. The charge was discontinued in 1968, and the building was sold to Dawn Mills community members for $1. The Dawn Mills Good Will Workers held regular meetings and social events there for a number of years. The hall was also rented out for family birthday parties, community wedding showers, etc.
The Old Colony Mennonite Church first rented, and later purchased the church building. The original stained glass windows, donated by the Elgie and the Holmes families, were removed.
The general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and post office is now a home, as well as the church manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
. The community is mainly farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
-related now, and several residents including the Elgie family have tried to maintain the history of the Dawn Mills community.