Dawn Mills is a small, unincorporated community in

southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. ...

, Canada, part of the municipality of

Chatham-Kent Chatham-Kent ( 2021 population: 104,316)Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. In 1837, William Taylor and James Smith erected a

saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mo ...

grist Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a gristmill. Its etymology derives from the verb ''grind.'' Grist can be ground into meal or flour, depending on ho ...

and

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

on the banks of the Sydenham River in Camden Township of

Kent County, Ontario Kent County, area 2,458 km2 (949 sq mi) is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The county was created in 1792 and named by John Graves Simcoe in honour of the English County. The county is in an alluvial plain betwee ...

near

Dresden, Ontario Dresden is an agricultural community in southwestern Ontario, Canada, part of the municipality of Chatham-Kent. It is located on the Sydenham River. The community is named after Dresden, Germany. The major crops in the area are wheat, soybeans, r ...

. The mills were welcomed by residents at Dawn Mills who previously had to transport their produce for milling to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

. An early

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

was built here near the Sydenham River which connected the mill settlements. The town grew to six streets, three

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

and a store. The population was around 100. In the 1860s a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

system was constructed in southern Ontario. Stations were built, and tracks were laid at the bigger (and also purpose-established) towns. As had many other communities the region, Dawn Mills lost industries to competition from larger milling enterprises elsewhere. By the early 1900s Dawn Mills became a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

. The

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

closed in 1918. The church in Dawn Mills still stands, purchased by a

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

in the 1990s. The building was built as a Methodist church. It became a United Church and part of the Dawn Mills Pastoral Charge (comprising Dawn Mills, Wabash and Lindsay Road United Churches) in 1925, afte
church union
The charge was discontinued in 1968, and the building was sold to Dawn Mills community members for $1. The Dawn Mills Good Will Workers held regular meetings and social events there for a number of years. The hall was also rented out for family birthday parties, community wedding showers, etc. The Old Colony Mennonite Church first rented, and later purchased the church building. The original stained glass windows, donated by the Elgie and the Holmes families, were removed. The general store and post office is now a home, as well as the church

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

. The community is mainly

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

-related now, and several residents including the Elgie family have tried to maintain the history of the Dawn Mills community.

External links

{{authority control Communities in Chatham-Kent Mennonitism in Ontario Old Colony Mennonites Russian Mennonite diaspora in Canada