Please take a couple of minutes to leave a comment at the bottom of this Post. Just click on the 'comment's link and leave one for everyone to read. Feel free to leave your full name, your first name, or submit it anonymously. Your participation in the saving of this defining piece of local architecture is critical.

Does Heritage define a community? If we lost all of our history and memory, would we be less off? Your Historical Society thinks you would be. Do you have any memories of Needlers Mill? Do you parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents? What reminiscences do you have about growing up here and always seeing the Mill there? What family stories can you tell about living in this Township?

Please take a few minutes to read through this post, then post a comment or memory yourself at the bottom.

In order to start the conversation going, we've included a report from the Historical Society's recent Annual General Meeting.

At the Annual General Meeting two weeks ago, Millbrook Cavan Historical Society was pleased to have Bob Shafer, owner/operator of the Mill in Tyrone, speak to the members and general public about the importance, and challenges, of preserving and using old mills. Speaking from the heart, as well as experience, Mr. Shafer spoke of the Mill that he has owned in Tyrone Mills since 1979. The Mill in Tyrone is one of Canada's oldest water powered mills, built in 1846. The complex presently includes a saw mill and a flour mill.

Using pictures and drawings depicting operations behind 18th century flour mills and the history of restoration and renovation to his mill, Mr. Shafer entertained the crowd with stories and anecdotes of what it takes for an entrepreneur to establish and continue to run a business with so much history behind it.

A quick, abbreviated history lesson may be required for Needler's Mill in Millbrook. In 1816, John Deyell came from Ireland and established himself in Cavan. Beside a little creek, he and his brother James financed and built a grist mill; and the mill by the brook gave Millbrook its name. There is also speculation the mill ground grain for the production of whiskey - hence the name 'Distillery Street'. But no definitive proof of that type of operation has yet come to light. Deyell's Mill burnt down in 1857 (a fate of many early mills) and the property was sold to Walker Needler who, at the time, also owned and operated a grist mill and saw mill on Baxter Creek in what is now Cedar Valley. Mr. Needler built another 3-storey flour mill on the Deyell site as well as a home, which is still standing at 7 Anne St. This mill, too, succumbed to fire in 1909, at which time Mr. Needler dismantled the south half of the mill in Cedar Valley and moved it to the Mill Pond site. Needler's Mill is the last remaining mill in the Township and one of only a handful remaining in the Province which is salvageable and restorable. According to an historical story in the Peterborough Examiner in 1958, the mill turned out a fine quality flour with the trade name "White Rose". The flour was sold in local grocery stores and in Peterborough. In 1967 the property was sold to the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA) who were interested in preserving the water levels. They had also hoped to restore the mill the cooperation of the Millbrook Council of the day. ORCA still owns the Mill to this day.

Mr. Shafer recognized the benefits of our local Mill. "You have incredible rolling countryside, a beautiful setting here in the village, with a busy, historically relevant downtown core, parkland next to the Mill. It's accessible to tourists - it's worth preserving", he said. He also told the crowd how important it is for the community to get behind the restoration and preservation of the Mill. "The residents of the Village and the Township have to be educated on why the Mill is worth restoring and they need to be behind whatever restoration efforts develop". Although Mr. Shafer has not undertaken any economic benefit study to gauge the impact of the his mill on the village of Tryone Mills, he is confident that both the mill and the village have benefited from each others' activities, based on what he has heard and seen. "The preservation of heritage structures continue in our village to this day", he said. "The residents understand how important history and heritage is to the village and that is what draws other people to the area."

After the formal part of the meeting wrapped up, many of the people attending the Annual General Meeting had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Shafer personally. He had the same message for everyone he spoke with. "Needler's Mill enhances the whole Township, so the challenge will be to create an environment where people want to participate in, and be involved with, the future of the Mill." He spoke from personal experience when he told them that any restoration will be an on-going effort - not just a one-time expense. "Like any heritage structure anywhere, whether it be a home, business or other structure, there will be a need for continual maintenance if the people want to preserve it. The Township will need to use it or lose it", he said. He also recognized the incredible potential a mill of that kind could be to the Township. "A restored Mill would bring many more people to this area", he said. "Busloads of people come out of Toronto on day trips and stop at Tyrone Mill throughout the summer. There is no reason why Millbrook couldn't be another stop for those buses, and the Mill would be a big draw. The Township would benefit from this visibility as would the businesses".

The Millbrook Cavan Historical Society believes Needler's Mill is an integral part of the past and future of this Township and is committed to doing what they can to raise awareness and educate all the residents of the Township - both young and old. To that end, the Society will work closely with individuals, community groups, the Heritage Committee, Township Council, Otonabee Region Conservation Authority and the media to make this happen.

If you support the Millbrook Cavan Historical Society, please let them know. You can email them at mchs@nexicom.net or call 932-3003 or 932-2720.

Remember, its only history if someone continues to tell the story. And we are, after all, only trustees for those that come after us.