In the 1850’s, a finished broom would sell for a quarter and might last as long as 5-7 years of use.
While I was watching the broom being manufactured, the water that passed beneath the bridge was doing its work of powering the machinery in the Flour Mill and Saw Mill and these locations as well as the Cotton Mill were next on my list of places to visit. The fish were gathering under the bridge in the hope that a morsel or two might fall their way, but I had to disappoint them and continue on my way.
The Asseltine Woolen Mill was moved to the Upper Canada Village location in 1957. Prior to that, it had operated from 1828 until the 1930’s on the banks of Mill Creek in Ernesttown Township near Kingston,Ontario. At the Village, it now continues as a functional water-powered mill providing visitors with a look at mill activities as they might have existed in the 1860’s.
As visitors enter the mill on the main floor, they are greeted with the smells of the raw wool process and can examine both the bins of uncleaned wool as well as the washing vats where the wool would have been cleaned before being set out to dry.
As I wander around places like this, I am always intrigued by the signs and the rules that were in place in that time and place.
Due to the number of images which I took while in the Asseltine Woolen Mill, I have uploaded the Woolen Mill images to a separate entry which can be viewed here: Upper Canada Village – Asseltine Woolen Mill. Additional text will be added to that entry, with respect to the equipment and processes available for the public to see, when I have some time at a later date.
Our next stop on the tour of the Village was the S.J. Bellamy Flour Mill located just uphill from the Asseltine Woolen Mill. This mill was moved to the site and reconstructed at the Upper Canada Village in 1982-1984 under the direction of the then restoration architect, P.J. Stokes. The original mill was constructed by Samuel Chancey and Hiram Bellamy in the community of North Augusta in 1822 and then had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1863. The mill at Upper Canada Village reflects the Bellamy Mill of 1863 vintage and reflects the size, style and nature of a small custom mill of the 1860’s. The mill operates on both water and steam power courtesy of an installed water turbine and a single cylinder reciprocating steam engine and horizontal return tube boiler both of which were designed to provide a year-round steady 30hp of power.
 
