Memories From the Manor


Had the great opportunity to meet up with some of the residents in Millbrook Manor who had memories of Needlers Mill while growing up here in the Township. It became clear very fast that the Mill just doesn't mean a lot to those from the village - it also means a lot to those who live in Cavan Township. The following are some of those memories.


"My dad was a grinder there and I worked there as a teen. One thing the Mill did well was sawing the hardwood for the runners of the local stone boats - you know, the flat sleds farmers used to pull behind horses. They used the sleds to clear their fields of stones. The stone walls you see across this Township were probably made because of sled runners made here at the Mill."


"The Mill was a vibrant business. If not sawing and grinding, it stored coal there that was brought in by train. They also made use of all the sawdust. In the winter time, they cut big chunks of ice from the pond for all of the stores. They all had ice houses out back. They used the sawdust to keep the ice cold all summer long."


"I can remember what was there before the arena. When I was young, there was an outdoor rink, 2 houses and a pig pen."


"I remember me and a couple of my girlfriends would come down from the old school house during lunch time in the spring and watch the men pull the logs from the pond up into the sawmill."


"There was a wagon trail that went completely around the pond. It was used by Mr. Attwooll to travel to and from his house on Prince Street."


"My great-grandfather owned the mill that used to on the Farmers Pond between King Street West and Anne Street."


"There was a lot of good fishing back when I was little. There was an 18' deep hole at the bottom of the sluice. That was the place to fish in the summer."


"The mill was critically important for all of the farmers in the Township. They needed lumber sawn and grain ground. It was a busy place, the village. The farmers would bring in what they needed ground, and then they'd go and meet other friends and farmers in the village waiting for the job to be done."


"I can remember a incident that happened on the pond when were returning from Church. Jack Crowley was all dressed in his Sunday best clothes and he saw some men standing on the logs in the pond. He said "that's easy to do!" and proceeded to fall into the pond up to his neck wearing his Sunday suit!"


These memories are priceless and demonstrate that not everything has to disappear completely before we miss it being gone forever.