Photos from Doris Blackburn/ Karen Black Chenier SS# 5 Herron’s Mills and you can buy local school books from Archives Lanark.–http://archiveslanark.ca/index.php
“Herrons Mills” Gary Barr
24″x36″ oils on canvas
(donated to Middleville Museum)
If you look at that little yellow house on the left hand side– this is what it looked like in the 80s and early 90s until it was torn down.
Sterling SomervilleTook a picture of it, got heck from a old lady,s ,for put phote in Perth Courier back in March 12 1987.the house is gone ,like Herron Mill dam ,what a shame ,home on corner near by also.
In 1935 the wooden structure over the Clyde River near Herron’s Mills, on the Third Concession, has been closed to traffic owing to the stringers giving way under a heavy truck load of logs. The truck got safely over, but the bridge was no longer safe for furthur traffic.
It is possible that a new bridge will be erected instead of the old bridge being repaired. In the same year a “Beaver Dam’ Bridge was erected over the Clyde near Herron’s Mills and opened for traffic in September. It didn’t last long however, and in 1938 the old Beaver Dam Bridge was torn down and the piers demolished as it was a menace to the new bridge downstream from it.
In 1935 Ed LeMaister of Almonte was the successful tenderer for supplying gravel for the county road between the Clydeville Bridge and Herron’s Mills. His tender was 65 cents per yard. he to purchase the gravel, haul it and pay the foreman in charge.
From local historian Laurie Yuill=Good morning Linda. Here is a picture from September 23, 1987 of construction of the Herron’s Mills Bridge on Herron’s Mills Road.
Photo from the lost Canadian and Gazette files from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
Karen Stead EnnisThis is Margaret Baird who lived on Herron Mills Road and also had a house in Lanark village. She donated the land for the Lanark Museum and the Baird Trail. Margaret made her clothes from flour and sugar bags. She and her sister Nettie ate “organic” when every one else was pouring chemicals on their gardens.
Diane Duncan said: Margaret and Nettie were really 1st cousins 2X removed. I never knew them. Thank so much for gathering this info.
Karen Stead Ennis–They spent time on their acreage digging weeds till they were so bent over you couldn’t see who was driving the truck. My grandfather Harry Stead was the first one there when Nettie died in the porch. They always seemed to be very old but I am sure they weren’t.
Ruth Johnson-–Concur. She had a sister Nettie with whom she shared a home. I believe she moved from Toronto to Herron Mills Road in the mid 50s but had roots somewhere in Lanark County. Nettie died in the early to mid 60s and sometime after that Margaret had a house built in Lanark village.
I (and Karen Ennis who commented above) grew up on Herron Mills Road; maiden name Stead. Margaret walked to our farm to buy milk and eggs. A lovely and interesting lady, a bit before her time in many ways.
Rose Parsons—She was the Lady that helped raise money for the big arena in Lanark way back when..Always a very nice lady and If memory steers me right She had a sister too.
Roxane Mesman–I knew this was Ms Baird right away 🙂 I always spoke to her on my way by going to school or just walking. I knew her when she lived in Lanark.
Judy ArnottMargaret also was one of the organizers of the walk to raise money for the arena. She was in the lead all the way.
Corrine LalondeMrs Baird she was the old librarian in Lanark she use to drive her bike out to her farm.
Shirley Kargakos—She lived next door to me in Lanark and across the street from our restaurant. She loved my daughter Demetrie when she was a little girl. One Sunday she hid her in her house and they were cutting up newspapers together. She was a good old soul that just wanted some company all was forgiven God Bless her.
Lynne Stead DillonWow, what a blast from the past. I was such a young child but I knew that was her.
Lorna DeachmanYes I was going to say she was one of the Baird sisters,I think the other one was called Nettie. Nice ladys!
If you have anything to add please leave a comment or email me at sav_77@yahoo.com
The Baird Trail
1024 Herron Mills Road (County Road 8)
20 km north of Perth
Lanark Highlands Township
This is one of 38 Community Forest lands that are managed by Lanark County. In 1837,
a pioneer family settled here. Initially, this land supported basic food crops, livestock and the forest provided lumber, fuel and maple syrup. But the sandy soil was only marginal
for agriculture and the lowlands were often flooded due
to beaver dams.
In 1963, Margaret Baird sold this 36 hectare (89 acre) parcel to the County of Lanark.
A Red Pine plantation was planted on the property as part of a conservation program
Herron’s Mills, originally known as Gillies Mills, is a ghost town in the municipality of Lanark Highlands, Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, Canada, near the community of Lanark.
That same road in all its splendour in the oil painting looked like this years ago when I used to go travel there with my kids. The little yellow house fell apart and they tore it down and we used to call it the Ghost House.
This is one of the old houses that used to make up the village of Herron’s Mills. This house and out the buildings have since been torn down and it is unknown who lived there, except that possibly people who once worked in the Herron Mills Woollen Factory. across the road.
I like old buildings, and wish they would stay up forever. Each time I see an old structure get torn down, I always feel sad inside as I feel they are getting rid of the history of the area.
I don’t understand why a lot of people don’t feel the same way I do about older buildings, or why kids today buy Ikea branded items instead of antiques. There is no doubt that the older buildings and family homes have a soul. Walk inside and you can feel the change in the atmosphere, like you’re stepping back in time and leaving the modern world behind.
I believe that when people die a part of their energy is imprinted in houses or on personal belongings. John Gillies, from the House of Gillies, as I call them had to make a decision and sell his most cherished holdings which was Gillies Mills on May 18th, 1871 and henceforth after it was called Herron’s Mills. I have no idea how he did that and as I write this utter grief fills me. There is something about a place that was once busy but has since been vacant and I know much of what is weighing me down right now is not mine to carry. But as Winston Churchhill said: “We shape our buildings therefore they shape us.”
Herron’s Mills, having now almost entirely disappeared save for a couple original buildings, was once one of the more flourishing industrial centres of this area. Though some remnants of the former village can still be found, almost all traces of this once bustling location have been lost to time
It was 1821 and 10-year-old John Gillies found himself aboard the David of London along with his parents, James and Helen. Their ship was making its way from Greenock, Scotland to Quebec, Canada. Three of the 364 Scottish passengers died during the trip, while another four were born. The passengers had paid their own way to Canada to become part of the Canadian government’s immigration plan which offered immigrants 100 acres of land and free transportation to it from Quebec City.
Fourty days later, the Gillies had made it by boat, foot and cart, to New Lanark. There, John Gillies learned how to clear the land and build a home as his family began building their future in Canada.
By 1840, John Gillies had a plan. He obtained his own land plot near the Clyde River and 100 adjoining acres. It was here that he and his wife Mary built a home and sawmill. Some say that he travelled the 55 miles from Brockville to Lanark with the 90-pound saw on his back.
Gillies dammed the water to allow for enough flow to power his saw. He would sell his lumber for anywhere from $6 to $12 per 1000 feet. His site grew to include a grist and oat mills. On the other side of the river he built a carding mill to process sheeps wool.
Gillies bought a large circular saw and took contracts to cut lumber. One such contract was to supply 3″ thick wood to be used in the construction of the Plank Road between Perth, Balderson and Lanark. He would later claim that he was not paid for this contract.
In 1861 he built a large home for himself and his family which by now counted nine children.
It was about this time that John Gillies had to deal with an inevitable problem. He had cut most of the pine trees from the area and required a new supply for his mill. He had to bring in lumber from other forests. Gillies decided to buy the Gilmour Mill located in Carleton Place and in 1864, Gillies Mill went up for sale.
Gillies eventually sold the mill in 1871 to brothers James and John Herron who purchased 104 acres of land and the mill. They established a company named the J & J Herron Company and the site soon became known as Herron’s Mills. A stone bakehouse was added and used to bake unhulled oats or unshelled peas. From there they were bagged and then ground into grade to be used in oatmeal and pea brose (a Scottish dish).
The mill grew to include barns and stables, homes for the workers and John Munroe’s tannery. For the worker’s children, a school was constructed. Teachers would be given board with local families as part of their payment.
James Herron opened a post office in 1891 that was located in their home. It continued to operate until 1915.
At its peak, Herron’s Mill was producing over 8000 feet of lumber per day. In 1919 the brothers passed ownership of the mill down to James’ son, Alexander. When Alexander died in 1946, his sister Mary continued to run the mill for five more years. By 1951 the mill sat in silence.
One small building remains, the mill has lost the roof and one wall but still stands with some of the original machinery inside. A couple of collapsed buildings remain as well. I never did find the old home pictured on the cover of Ghost Towns of Ontario, volume 2. Perhaps the most fascinating part was the stone bridge which was built over the Clyde River. The water still continues to flow underneath it.
Most of the first North Lanark farm settlers came from overpopulated towns and countryside of Lanark County in the South of Scotland, including Glasgow, and Lanark, the county of Lanarkshire. Smaller communities later formed in Lanark Township include Middleville, Hopetown, Brightside, Herron‟s Mills (formerly Gillies Mills), Halpenny, Rosetta and Boyd Settlement (Brown 1984:14)
This is the family of Robert Charles (Bob) Somervile and Sarah Anne Headrick;
Robert Charles Somerville born 18 Dec 1852, died 1931, buried Greenwood cemetery, Middleville, Ontario.
Sarah Anne Headrick born 7 June 1860, died 1925, buried Greenwood cemetery, Middleville, Ontario.
This area of Ontario was at the centre of the Canadian textile industry in the 1800’s. Settled
almost exclusively by weavers from the area south of Glasgow, Scotland, who organized themselves
into “Emigration Societies”, the terrain of low hills, rocky outcrops and fast-running rivers and
streams was ideal for raising sheep and establishing textile mills. Not to mention the early timber industry.
The village of Middleville was a frontier village, located in a rocky and rugged landscape. The photo is taken from the north side of the village which located in a valley. If you follow the road over the hill to the south, Lanark is the nearest village. Almonte is the closest town towards the east.
One of the first settlers in the town of Middleville was James Campbell from Paisley Scotland, who emigrated independent of government assistance (Bennett, 1980; 70; MicGill 1963: 65). In 1820, Campbell occupied the west half of Lot 15, Concession 6, where the present town of Middleville is found today and later sold part of his land as town lots. His wife Jean Whyte, whom he had left in Scotland, came out in the spring of 1822 with their three children.
Campbell had been a manufacturer in the old country and was not trained for farming. Other early settlers were Matthew Laurie, John Anderson, Kennedy Baxter, John Mather, James and William Borrowman. They were soon followed by the next influx of settlers whose descendants still live at Middleville today: Gillies, McKay, Creighton and Rankin. At the time James Campbell settled, the community was originally called Middleton until the 1850s when a post office was established (Bennett, 1980: 70-71). There was already a community receiving mail under that name and so Middleville came into being. Middleton boasted a post office, two churches, a cheese factory a general store and three schools in the nineteenth century, almost all of which are still standing today.
More information- Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment Jackson Subdivision, Middleville Lot 15, Concession 6, Geographic Township of Lanark, Lanark County, Ontario
This is the Thomas Watt & Son stove display at the Middleville Fair.
Middleville school still stands today.
After a stop at the Museum –Next stop- take a right onto the 511 known as Herron’s Mills Roads.
A gentleman was erecting stone pillars for a driveway where the once ghost house stood and I stood there rattling off the history of Herron’s Mills–because that is what I do now. For God’s sakes don’t ask me anything if you see me– you might never see your family again. This man got off lightly.:)
Photos Bytown or Bust Photo and they appears in Lanark Legacy, by Howard Morton Brown
The above picture is how I will always remember the Gillies House. Drab, and sitting on a slight hill. This is what it looks like now:
Herron’s Mills, originally known as Gillies Mills, is a ghost town in the municipality of Lanark Highlands, Lanark County in Eastern Ontario, Canada,near the community of Lanark. It is located on highway 511 between Perth and Calabogie, Ontario.
Businessman John Gillies established a sawmill on the Clyde River in the community in 1842 to supply lumber for construction in the area. The mill continued to operate until 1950. It was later purchased by the Herron Brothers, hence the name. Wikipedia
This is one of the old houses that used to make up the village of Herron’s Mills.I used to go there and take photos with my sons a lot. This house and some of the buildings have since been torn down. It is unknown who lived here, except that maybe the people who once worked in the Herron Mills Woollen Factory across the road. Also read-
It was 1821 and 10-year-old John Gillies found himself aboard the David of London along with his parents, James and Helen. Their ship was making its way from Greenock, Scotland to Quebec, Canada. Three of the 364 Scottish passengers died during the trip, while another four were born. The passengers had paid their own way to Canada to become part of the Canadian government’s immigration plan which offered immigrants 100 acres of land and free transportation to it from Quebec City.
Fourty days later, the Gillies had made it by boat, foot and cart, to New Lanark. There, John Gillies learned how to clear the land and build a home as his family began building their future in Canada.
By 1840, John Gillies had a plan. He obtained his own land plot near the Clyde River and 100 adjoining acres. It was here that he and his wife Mary built a home and sawmill. Some say that he travelled the 55 miles from Brockville to Lanark with the 90-pound saw on his back.
Gillies dammed the water to allow for enough flow to power his saw. He would sell his lumber for anywhere from $6 to $12 per 1000 feet. His site grew to include a grist and oat mills. On the other side of the river he built a carding mill to process sheeps wool.
Gillies bought a large circular saw and took contracts to cut lumber. One such contract was to supply 3″ thick wood to be used in the construction of the Plank Road between Perth, Balderson and Lanark. He would later claim that he was not paid for this contract.
In 1861 he built a large home for himself and his family which by now counted nine children.
It was about this time that John Gillies had to deal with an inevitable problem. He had cut most of the pine trees from the area and required a new supply for his mill. He had to bring in lumber from other forests. Gillies decided to buy the Gilmour Mill located in Carleton Place and in 1864, Gillies Mill went up for sale.
Gillies eventually sold the mill in 1871 to brothers James and John Herron who purchased 104 acres of land and the mill. They established a company named the J & J Herron Company and the site soon became known as Herron’s Mills. A stone bakehouse was added and used to bake unhulled oats or unshelled peas. From there they were bagged and then ground into grade to be used in oatmeal and pea brose (a Scottish dish).
The mill grew to include barns and stables, homes for the workers and John Munroe’s tannery. For the worker’s children, a school was constructed. Teachers would be given board with local families as part of their payment.
James Herron opened a post office in 1891 that was located in their home. It continued to operate until 1915.
At its peak, Herron’s Mill was producing over 8000 feet of lumber per day. In 1919 the brothers passed ownership of the mill down to James’ son, Alexander. When Alexander died in 1946, his sister Mary continued to run the mill for five more years. By 1951 the mill sat in silence. One small building remains, the mill has lost the roof and one wall but still stands with some of the original machinery inside. A couple of collapsed buildings remain as well. I never did find the old home pictured on the cover of Ghost Towns of Ontario, volume 2. Perhaps the most fascinating part was the stone bridge which was built over the Clyde River. The water still continues to flow underneath it.
Shelley Dunlop posted— A Great-Uncle of mine was married at this house: Andrew Dunlop (Andrew3, Gavin2, Andrew1) was born 1866 in Ramsay Twp. , Lanark Cty, and died October 19, 1951 in Hudson , Mass. , USA. He married Margaret Young May 23, 1894 in residence of John Gillies , Carleton Place. She was born 1867 in Dublin , Ireland, and died October 14, 1952 in Hudson , Mass. , USA.
The Almonte Gazette records the birth of a daughter to Andrew Jr. , 9 March 1884 , at Almonte. The Perth Courier records the marriage of Andrew Jr. as ; Andrew Dunlop Jr. at the residence Mr. John Gillies , May 23 , 1894 , by Rev . A. Scott . Mr. Andrew Dunlop Jr.. to Miss Maggie Young, both of Carleton Place .
The 1891 Carleton Place Census shows a Margaret Young as a boarder at the residence of Mr. John Gilles . She is 35 years old , She was born in Ireland and both her parents were born in Ireland . She is the general live in servant at the Gilles residence . Her marriage takes place there . In 1891 Andrew Jr. is 25 years old.
John Gillies Sr. home at Gillies Mills, now Herron’s Mills.
lindaseccaspina 