Sayers Mills, Ontario

Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

43°32′44″N 80°00′53″W / 43.54556°N 80.01472°W / 43.54556; -80.01472CountryCanadaProvinceOntarioRegional municipalityHaltonTownHalton HillsTime zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)GNBC CodeFEBAD^[1]

Sayers Mills is an unincorporated community in Milton, Ontario, Canada.^[1]

Sixteen Mile Creek flows through the settlement.

History

The settlement was founded as a lumber mill in 1847 by Thomas Easterbrook. The mill was purchased in 1877 by Henry Cargill. At that time, the property contained five buildings, a pond, and the mill. The property was later sold to Peter Sayers, namesake of the settlement, who operated the mill and built a family home there. In 1895, Sayers installed steam power at the mill.^[2]

The mill was the largest in Nassagaweya Township, with two saws capable of turning out 25,000 to 30,000 board feet per day.^[3] During its busy season, the mill employed between 10 and 12 workers, who lived in a bunkhouse on site. The milled lumber was taken to Guelph by horse-drawn wagons and sleighs until 1890, when a railway was built through nearby Moffat. The wood was purchased by manufacturer Massey-Harris, and was used on farm machinery. The mill also produced shingles.^[2]

In 1902, the mill burned down, and was rebuilt the following year.^[2]

The mill closed in 1922, and a dam located there broke during the 1940s.^[2]

The Sayers Mill property is recognized as a "significant heritage resource" by the Town of Milton.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "Sayers Mills". Natural Resources Canada. October 6, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Mullen, Bonnie (May 28, 1999). "Sayer's Mills" (PDF). The Compass.
^ Kennedy, Urchin (June 24, 2006). "Elizabeth Easterbrook" (PDF). Whitlock Family Association.
^ "Heritage Milton Minutes" (PDF). Town of Milton. April 10, 2014.