Honouring Our Heritage

In the mid 1850’s the Maitland River was recognized as a powerful resource to compliment the agriculture communities on its watershed.

“Early in the winter of 1855, James and Nathaniel Leech left their parent’s home in Lanark County in eastern Ontario on a tour of southwestern Ontario looking for a river site to build and operate mills. They were very impressed with the Maitland River in the Gorrie area. On their return home, they convinced eight of their ten brothers to form a company and locate it in Gorrie.

A small group of Howick volunteers formed the Maitland Mill Association in 1996 with the goal of restoring the mill. The volunteers viewed the mill as ‘a diamond in the rough’. At the time there are only six mills left on the Maitland River. Of these six, the mill in Gorrie was the only one in its original condition with all its machinery and equipment and publicly owned.”
Rosemary Rognvaldson and Linda Henhoeffer, Howick Township, Huron County Historical Society

Over the years, heritage minded groups have sought to restore the various mills. Many organizations held fundraisers but the expense of rebuilding mills became too difficult.

Grant Have Media reported of the Gorrie Mill; “The dismantled mill was sold to a heritage site in the U.S. where it has been reconstructed. It is ironic that an important piece of Canadian history lives on display in America.”
Goderich Sun, September 18, 2025

Unfortunately, efforts to preserve these mills have been difficult, so much so that of the original 64 mills only 2 are standing. Logan’s Mill in Brussels is one of them.