Morningstar Mill & Miller’s House

Address: 2710 DeCew Road, St. Catharines Phone: (905)688.5601

Morningstar Mill

Architect: Robert Chappel
Year Built: 1872 (Grist Mill), rebuilt in 1892 after a fire
Website:
www.morningstarmill.ca
Address: 2710 DeCew Road, St. Catharines, ON
Phone: 905-688-6050

Hours: Sat. Oct. 16 & Sun. Oct.17, 2010:
10:00am to 4:00pm

Morningstar Mill is the only remaining functional grist mill on Twelve Mile Creek. Built in 1872 to process wheat, oats, barley and rye, it is one of the first driven by a water-powered turbine and includes a turbine shed, saw mill, blacksmith shop, living museum, park and interpretive center.

In 1992 the site was so derelict that it was very unsafe and only a short time from needing to be bulldozed. Mr Gary Konkle approached city council to get permission to form a group of volunteers to be called "The Friends of Morningstar Mill" Once established they began to restore and then operate the mill as the only operating water powered gristmill in the Niagara Peninsula . At the start of the restoration project, much of the machinery and stones were as Morningstar had left them in 1933. The buildings were collapsing or had disappeared altogether in the case of the saw mill.

The Morningstar Mill Park, Interpretive Center, Museum site is made up of a number of buildings: the gristmill, (more familiarly known as Morningstar Mill) the turbine shed, the millers house, the icehouse, sawmill and the barn which houses the blacksmith shop and carpentry shop. Soon to be reconstructed is a drive shed to house wagons and ancillary equipment.


View Larger Map