Herron's Mills, originally known as Gillies Mills, is 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), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
in the municipality of
Lanark Highlands
Lanark Highlands is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada in Lanark County. The township administrative offices are located in the village of Lanark.
History
The current township was incorporated on July 1, 1997 by amalgamating the former town ...
,
Lanark County
Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, which was first settled in 1816.Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth Century Glimpses of on Ontario County. Corporation of the Cou ...
in
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario (census population 1,763,186 in 2016) (french: Est de l'Ontario) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River. It s ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
near the community of
Lanark
Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...
. It is located on highway 511 between Perth and Calabogie, Ontario.
Businessman John Gillies established a
sawmill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...
on the
Clyde River in the community in 1842 to supply lumber for construction in the area. The mill continued to operate until 1950. It was later purchased by the Herron Brothers, hence the name.
History
The area around Herron's Mills,
Lanark County
Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, which was first settled in 1816.Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth Century Glimpses of on Ontario County. Corporation of the Cou ...
was originally settled, starting in 1820, by Scottish immigrants from the southern areas of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. Most of the Scottish who emigrated came from the over-crowded cities and areas in Scotland such as
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and
Lanark
Lanark (; gd, Lannraig ; sco, Lanrik) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a population of 9 ...
the town in
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
.
As a result of the worldwide
depression that followed the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
and the rapidly encroaching Industrial Revolution, Scottish weavers found themselves out of work and destitute. Parliament heard the cry of the impoverished Scotsman, and formed colonization groups to assist those willing to immigrate to Canada. Advertisements in Scottish papers read as follows: "Persons desiring to emigrate(sic) to Canada will be conveyed free of charge. The government will also supply provisions on the voyage and on arrival, a grant of 100 acres will be allotted each family as well as to each male child on reaching 21." Promises of good conditions on the journey to Canada were also promised. Between 1820 and 1821 over 3,000 immigrants set sail to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and arrived in
Lanark County
Lanark County is a county located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its county seat is Perth, which was first settled in 1816.Brown, Howard Morton, 1984. Lanark Legacy, Nineteenth Century Glimpses of on Ontario County. Corporation of the Cou ...
via
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
and
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
. They named their new home the Lanark Highlands after their former home in Scotland.
Herron's Mills, was originally known as ''Gillies Mills''.
The Gillies arrived in the area, that would be their namesake, in 1821 from Stirlingshire, Scotland. The family consisted of James(55), Helen Stark(43) and five of their six children: Janet(21), John(10), George(8), Helen(4) and Isabel(1).
In 1839, John married Mary Cullen Bain and then he began cutting timber in 1842 on the river Clyde using a sawmill that he had crafted with his own hands. He carted the saw for the mill from Brockville over 55 miles of rough, back-country roads to cut the timber that was harvested from his father's property. Before long, the place known as ''Gillies Mills'' became known for producing square cut timber for the Quebec market and sawn lumber that was shipped to the United States via
Kingston to Oswego, N.Y.
The hamlet became known as a lumbering town, as many other towns, such as
Balaclava were in the Ottawa Valley.
In 1866, John Gillies and Peter McLaren, now business partners, pooled resources to purchase Gilmour Mills in Carleton Place which was expanded to have the capacity to produce 100,000 feet of lumber a day and employing over 100 men. Every successful business venture ensures a steady supply of raw materials. Gilmour Mills being no exception, they held the timber rights to over 300 square miles in the hills of the Upper Mississippi region of
Frontenac County
Frontenac County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. The city of Kingston is in the Frontenac census division, but is separated from the County of Front ...
. Sometime between 1871 and 1873, Gillies, with his four sons, William, James, John and David, sold their portion of the business to McLaren and John Herron and moved operations to Braeside on the Ottawa River.
At this point in time, the name of the little hamlet was changed to ''Herron's Mills''.
Throughout the remainder of the 1800s the Gillies, now known as "Gillies Brothers", were one of the larger lumber producers in the Ottawa Valley. Over time, James, the eldest Gillies brother became the senior partner and president of the new company, in charge of sales, finances and general policy. James Gillies died in 1909. In 1913, the company expanded outside of Ontario and Quebec by contracting timber rights in British Columbia.
Throughout the 20th Century, the Gillies family continued to work exclusively with pine, in spite of dwindling natural resources and pressures to diversify. The company was sold in 1963 to Consolidated Paper Corporation with Gillies family members retaining leadership positions in the division of Consolidated Paper that was ''Gillies Brothers'' until 1978.
In addition to timber, Herron's Mills became home to a number of various businesses that were typical of those in the region. In 1895, a cheese factory, named Clyde, was operated by James Herron in the hamlet.
Revival
Ed Weaver purchased the house and property in early 2006 when no one in the family of the previous owner, Marie Storie, chose to inherit it. Weaver and his wife Debbie and his two sons Kyle and Bradley have renovated the home and maintained the property.
Remnants of the former lumber community, namely the lumber mill and dam are still visible from Herron Mills Road.
External links
*Pictures of the mill owned by Gillies (note this is not in Herron's Mill
*Ontario Heritage Foundation Plaque referencing the Gillies manufacturing activities (in Braeburn
*Lanark tourism brochure featuring a picture of the Clyde River log jammed with timber
References
*
{{authority control
Ghost towns in Ontario
Communities in Lanark County
Timber industry in Canada