August 2024
Like many towns established in the early 1800s, the driving force behind them were frequently the local mills. In 1828, William Purdy re-located his family to Ops Township (present-day Lindsay, Ontario) from Vaughan Township, north of Toronto, Ontario, after the mill he had been operating was destroyed. Purdy was approved for the land grant that had been set aside as a potential mill site, Lots 20 and 21, on Concession 6, along the Scugog River.
Soon after, Purdy built a dam on the Scugog River and began construction of a lumber mill, followed by a grist mill. Purdy originally planned to open his mills in 1831, but flooding that year destroyed his dam, setting back his plans until 1833. As the mill prospered, town lots were laid out in 1834. Named Purdy’s Mills, the village soon attracted other industries and businesses, including blacksmiths, hotels and taverns and a carding mill.
Unfortunately, the mill pond created by damming the river created a breeding ground for mosquitos. When the protests to government officials went unanswered, some of the locals took matters into their own hands by destroying the dam in 1844. It was rebuilt, but this was a major setback for mill operations.
Around this time, Purdy sold the mill to Hiram Bigelow who operated it until 1861, when it was destroyed in a large fire that also destroyed 91 of the wooden buildings in town.
A new mill was built in 1869, this time out of stone on a new foundation, and was run by William Needler and Thomas Sadler, who would be the next in a series of different operators of the mill.
It was next sold to the Flavelle Family in 1884, who re-named the mill the Flavelle Milling Company in 1899.
Flavelle Milling Company carried on into the 20th Century, until it was part of a merger of eight mills in the early 1920s. The mill closed in the mid 1920s, re-opening in 1927 as Lindsay Distillery, a venture that but this only lasted until 1930.
In 1946 it was opened again, this time as Henderson’s Chick Hatchery. This venture lasted until 1971 when the building was vacant again.
A proposal was brought forth to convert the old mill into an accommodation facility of some type, but time ran out when a fire destroyed the mill in 1978. What little remains of the old stone flour and lumber mill has been owned by the Town of Lindsay since 1981.
The town decided against a recommendation to demolish the ruins in 1986, instead opting to reinforce the remains by capping the walls with cement. They are now the centrepiece of Old Mill Park and a popular backdrop for wedding pictures.
Sources: The Old Mill – Lindsay | Hiking the GTA, Lindsay Old Mill Ruins (photohiker.net), Lindsay Old Mill (explorekawarthalakes.com).
