Watson's Mill facts for kids

Watson’s Mill, 2018

Watson's Mill is a historic flour and gristmill located in Manotick, Ontario, Canada. It is a special place because it's the only working museum of its kind in the Ottawa area. It's also one of the few old grist mills in North America that still works! You can even buy stone-ground whole wheat flour made right there. The mill is also famous for its ghost, Annabelle. People say Ann Currier, who was Joseph Currier's wife, haunts the mill. She died there in a sad accident in 1861. Watson's Mill is a well-known symbol for the village of Manotick.

Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Merrill Currier started the mill in 1860. They called it the Long Island Milling Enterprise. It was one of many mills built in the area. These mills used power from the Rideau Canal. The mill got its current name when Harry Watson bought it in 1946. He was the last owner to run it as a big industrial mill. In 1972, the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority bought the mill. They turned it into a museum.

The mill is open to visitors during the summer. It hosts many events, including milling demonstrations every Sunday.

History of Watson's Mill
The Ghost of Ann Crosby Currier
Inside Watson's Mill
Other Mills at Long Island
Watson's Mill Today
Affiliations
See also

History of Watson's Mill

Watson's Mill was first known as the 'Long Island Milling Enterprise'. Thomas Langrell, a builder from Ottawa, constructed it. He built it for two important Ottawa businessmen: Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Merrill Currier. Dickinson was a successful forwarder and steamboat owner. People called him 'King of the Rideau'. This was because his many boats traveled on the Rideau Canal. Dickinson was also the mayor of Ottawa from 1864 to 1866. This was just before Confederation. His partner, Joseph Currier, was a lumber baron. He also owned part of the Victoria Foundry in Ottawa. All the mill's machinery was made there.

Watson's Mill was one of four milling businesses built at the same time. A saw mill was finished in 1859. The gristmill was done in 1860. A carding mill followed in 1861. The Canada Bung, Plug and Spile Factory was built in 1875. This completed the Long Island Milling Enterprise. Later, it became known as the 'Manotick Mills'.

Dickinson wanted to create a village around the Long Island Mills. He bought 30 acres of land. Then he sold it as building lots. The village was named 'Manotick'. This is an Algonquin word meaning "island". Dickinson also built a house across from Watson's Mill. This house is still there today. It has been turned into the 'Dickinson House Museum'.

The mill stayed in the Dickinson family until 1928. Then Elizabeth, Moss Kent Dickinson's youngest daughter, sold it to Alexander Spratt. The Spratt family lived in the Dickinson House while Alexander ran the mill. Alexander died in 1936. His wife continued the business until 1946. That's when Harry Watson bought it. Harry, his wife Anna, and their six children also lived in the Dickinson House.

Over time, it became cheaper to bring in wheat and flour from Western Canada. This was because of the Canadian Pacific Railway. So, Spratt and Watson changed the mill. They turned it into a feed and seed business. This helped local dairy and livestock farmers. Watson also started selling coal and cement.

The Ghost of Ann Crosby Currier

Watson's Mill is said to be haunted by the ghost of Ann Crosby Currier. She was the second wife of Joseph Currier. Ann was born in 1841. She was the daughter of a successful hotel owner. She grew up with seven brothers and sisters in Caldwell, New York. In 1861, Ann married Joseph Merrill Currier. He was a co-owner of the Mill at that time.

On March 11, 1861, a sad event happened. This was just six weeks after Ann and Joseph got married. Joseph and Dickinson were having a small party. They were celebrating their first successful year of business. Ann was walking through the mill. Her crinoline (a stiff petticoat) and dress got caught in a turbine shaft. This happened on the second floor. She was thrown against a pillar and died instantly. After this tragedy, Joseph lost all interest in the mill. He eventually sold his share to Dickinson.

Since then, many people say they have seen Ann's ghost at Watson's Mill. This makes the mill one of Ottawa's most haunted buildings. Watson's Mill now hosts events about its haunted nature. These include "Terrifying Tales at Twilight". Groups like the Haunted Ottawa and Paranormal Society also visit.

Inside Watson's Mill

Watson's Mill was built using limestone. This stone came from the banks of the Rideau River. Local wood was also used. It was cut and milled at the Long Island Sawmill. The inside of the mill is very fancy. Dickinson and Currier wanted the mill to be a great example of industry. Watson's Mill was powered by five turbines. These were built in Joseph Currier's foundry. A sixth turbine powered the Bung Mill across the river. The Ottawa Citizen newspaper called Watson's Mill "a castle in the air" when it opened.

Watson's Mill still has milling demonstrations on Sundays during the summer. You can buy Whole wheat flour milled there in the gift shop. They also sell fresh whole wheat bread made from the mill's flour. Today, much of the original machinery at Watson's Mill still works. The following machines are used in demonstrations:

3 of the 6 original turbines (others are there but not used)
1 of the 4 original pairs of millstones (another is on display)
Auger
Bolter
Feed grinder
Hopper and grain Elevators

How Turbines Work

The turbines are the most important machines. They provide power to all the other equipment in the mill. These are the original turbines. They were made in 1859 at the Victoria Foundry in Ottawa. The larger turbines can make 40-horse power. The smaller one makes 20-horse power. The turbines could work all year. This is because the water flow through the flume never froze. The first turbine runs the feed grinder and bolter. The third drives the elevators and auger. The fifth drives the millstones and the seed cleaner. The other three turbines are not used anymore.

Hopper, Elevators, and Garner Bin

After the wheat is weighed, it goes into the receiving hopper. There is a small opening at the bottom. A lever controls it. This lets the miller control how much wheat enters the system. This is the start of the automated milling process. From this point, the grain and grist are not touched by human hands. This continues until the flour is ready to be bagged. Once poured through the hopper, the grain moves to the second floor. It goes up using the conveyor elevator. Then it is stored in a large bin called the garner bin.

Millstones and Auger

Millstones can be made from different materials. The stones at Watson's Mill are made from hard quartz. This is called buhrstone. They were brought from France in 1859. Canadian and American stones would chip into the flour. The surface of the stone has a pattern of grooves. This is called the dress. Different millstones have different patterns. Watson's Mill's millstones have a 3/4 dress. The dress shows what substance the stone grinds. The grooves on the two stones are at different angles. They act like scissors when milling. Only the top stone, called the runner stone, turns. The bottom stone, the bedstone, stays still. Each stone weighs about 900 kilograms. That's about the weight of a small car.

Two large iron wheels are in front of the millstone. The miller uses them to control the machinery. The small wheel lets the miller raise and lower the top stone. The large wheel opens the gate to the turbine. This turbine turns the millstone.

The top stone is very heavy and spins fast. This creates a lot of heat. The heat warms the grist. It is important to keep the mill windows open during milling. This is because dust particles can catch fire. When the grist is warm and moist, it's hard to separate the bran and chaff from the flour. So, the grist needs to cool down. The grist goes up to the attic in the grist elevator. There, it falls into a machine called the auger. The auger cools and fluffs the grist.

The Bolter

From the auger, the grist falls into the bolter. The bolter is a large sifting machine. It is on the second floor. The bolter separates the flour from the bran. This makes pure stone-ground whole wheat flour. Both products drop down to the main floor. They are separated into two different bags. The flour is then put into smaller bags. You can buy these at the mill.

The Feed Grinder

The feed grinder offered another way to grind grain. Millstones are limited in what they can grind. But the feed grinder could grind many types of grains and seeds. This machine was mostly used to mix feed for local farmers' animals. Today, the feed grinder is used to grind corn. The mill sells this corn as duck chow.

Other Mills at Long Island

Besides the grist mill, a sawmill, carding mill, and bung factory were also part of the Long Island Milling Enterprise.

The Sawmill

Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Currier built their first sawmill on the opposite river bank. They used their new waterpower rights from the dam. The sawmill was built before 1859. Wood from this mill was used to build the Long Island Grist Mill (Watson's Mill). The sawmill was small. It measured 72 feet by 22 feet.

The first sawmill had to be removed in 1870. This was because the bulkhead was expanded. Construction for a new sawmill began before the old one was torn down.

The second sawmill was larger. It measured 30 feet by 100 feet. By 1876, a 20-foot addition was added. This was for the new Canadian Bung, Plug and Spile Factory. The second sawmill was destroyed by fire in the summer of 1887.

Today, there is no physical sign of the sawmill. But it was very important in creating Manotick. It provided lumber for wagons, carriages, sleighs, wheels, furniture, and building construction.

The Carding Mill

The woolen carding mill opened on December 1, 1861. It was built in just eight months. It was located next to the gristmill. The carding mill completed the three buildings of the Long Island Milling Enterprise.

The carding mill was first 32 feet by 30 feet. But by 1870, more space was needed. The mill was expanded to 60 feet by 30 feet. This mill was a place where farmers could have their wool carded and prepared. You could also order custom cloth there. From 1874 to 1876, R.W. Conway leased and ran the carding mill.

The carding mill was destroyed by fire. The exact date is not known. But it is thought to have happened between 1879 and 1885. Even though it was useful to farming families, the carding mill was never replaced. Moss Kent himself removed it from his records.

Today, very little remains of the carding mill. Only parts of its foundation are buried in the riverbank.

The Bung Factory

Moss Kent Dickinson started the Canada Bung, Plug and Spile Factory in 1875. At that time, there was only one other similar business in Canada. Dickinson shipped his bungs (wooden stoppers for barrels) all over the world.

The Sawmill originally housed the bung factory. After it burned down in 1887, Dickinson decided only the bung mill was worth saving. A new building was built a little downstream. It was on the opposite riverbank from the gristmill.

To power the bung mill, a sixth turbine was put in the gristmill's basement. A 3-inch steel cable ran from the basement window across the river channel to the new mill. When power was needed, a string was pulled. This rang a bell in the gristmill. It told the miller to start the sixth turbine. The bung factory was taken apart in 1926. Its parts were moved to become part of a house on Long Island in Manotick.

Watson's Mill Today

On July 1, 1963, the National Capital Commission (NCC) made a deal with Harry Watson. They wanted to open the Mill as a heritage attraction. The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) bought Watson's Mill, Dickinson House, and the Carriage Shed in 1972. They did this to protect this historic landmark. The name 'Watson's Mill' was kept. The RVCA greatly restored the Mill. They reopened it as a working grist mill and museum. In 2008, Watson's Mill Manotick Incorporated (WMMI) became the owner of the property.

Today, Watson's Mill continues to run as a working industrial museum. It is also a community social center. Watson's Mill aims to keep working as a flour and feed mill. It also serves as a social, cultural, and educational place for its many visitors.

Watson's Mill is located on the banks of the Rideau River. It is in the village of Manotick, Ontario. It is built next to the control dam. This is on the backchannel where the Rideau River splits around Long Island. The Long Island Locks are built across the other channel. Watson's Mill is about 20 kilometers south of downtown Ottawa, Ontario.

Affiliations

This museum is connected with: Ottawa Museum Network, and the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM).