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The dam at Byers Brook seems to have supplied a number of mills, including a drying kiln for oats. Around the turn of the century, there is a story that a neighbour saw a fire in the kiln and ran to give warning, but a bad stutter prevented him from giving the alarm. Finally someone remembered that he could sing well without stuttering, so he sang the warning, but too late to save the kiln.

1825 saw William Byers starting a grist mill to produce flour, and a year later a machine was added to make oatmeal.

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Riverside Mill, New Annan, Nova Scotia, Canada
1890
Byers Brook, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
North Shore Archives CSHC

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A dam was built across the river, on Byers Brook above the rotary sawmill, and the water was diverted by means of a sluiceway cut in the rock from there to the mill site.
The Riverside grist mill was located on the east side of Byers Brook, above the site of the local church. There was a rotary sawmill just upstream.

E.K.Johnson had a carding mill from the 1850's, taking in wool from the local farmers. His son, Harry, took over the business in 1906 and added a shingle mill as well as machinery for fulling and weaving cloth- the operation was still functioning in 1926. There were separate buildings for dyeing cloth, they contained large copper vats; it is said that Johnson used one as a bathtub when he quit the manufacturing of cloth. Water to power all this came from a channel dug in from the river, which could be closed off by a gate at the upper end as required.
A story has it that Charles Stanfield (of clothing manufacturing fame) learned the carding process through working for Johnson, but Stanfields feel it was the other way around (The first Stanfield Woollen mill was established in 1870).

Edward Johnson probably learned his trade working at the Geddes mill, still owned at that time by William Byers. The carding mill ran until the mid 1920's; on closing the materials were recycled and a tannery was established, run by Eugene Swan near his home in Central New Annan.

Another carding mill was opened on the Waugh's River in Balfron and in 1882, James Matheson started a woollen mill. Unlike today, sheep were kept in large numbers, so wool was available.
According to an old newspaper, date unknown, subscribers went to considerable expense putting in the machinery for the manufacturing of tweeds and yarns. Wool would be taken in exchange for cloth and yarn. His son joined him in the business and it was running until 1907. In 1905, they were involved in an actual clothing manufacturing business.
(An Alex Ross was peddling in cloth in 1897, and perhaps some came from the woollen mill.)

At Earltown, John MacKay (son of Alex MacKay Sr., who operated the Balmoral Gristmill) opened a small carding mill in the 1820s. He had the minimum of equipment but it served the local community until replaced by larger mills at Welsford and River John.

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Site of Carding Mill at Byers Brook, New Annan, Nova Scotia, Canada
3 July 2010
Byers Brook, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
S. Brinkhurst

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The remains of the flume/spillway that once brought water to the various mills on the Riverside property. The entire area is overgrown and nothing else remains.

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Balmoral Gristmill, Balmoral, Nova Scotia, Canada
1900
Balmoral, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
North Shore Archives CSHC

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During the last half century there were several mills along the Matheson Brook. In 1854, Alexander MacKay, who learned the milling trade from his father in Earltown, was thought to be operating a sawmill and gristmill on Matheson Brook, at Balmoral. This was a short distance above the present mill location.
In 1874 he built the existing grist mill; it was an ideal site, with a growing community of Highland Scots amongst whom was the prospect of finding a wife!

Arthur Treen of Malagash, writing in 1985 about events during the previous 90 years, recalls one winter that was so cold they were able to travel on the ice up the Waugh's River to McKays's Gristmill at Balfron to get the grain ground.

There were various places to go to get grain milled according to the time of year: Swans's in New Annan, Howard's at Wallace River and Dewar's in Malagash; this latter was only 7 miles from where the Treen's lived and therefore the handiest! But it was often closed because of lack of water in the summer or another mill damming off the water above the Dewar mill. Several trips might be made in a year to get the grain ground.

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Balmoral Gristmill Today, Balmoral, Nova Scotia, Canada
6 August 2010
Balmoral, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
Nova Scotia Provincial Museum

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Balmoral Gristmill today, where grain is still milled and it is possible to buy fine oatmeal.

It was fairly common for gristmills and sawmills to be in the same building but this was inefficient, and there was always a risk of fire. Alexander McKay wanted a separate gristmill, so in 1873 he purchased land a little further downstream for $12. Construction of the mill started immediately, with the help of his brother John, who had taken over their father's mill in Earltown.
Lumber for the grist mill was sawn at the upstream sawmill, which was sold in 1883 to the Sutherland Brothers, Alexander and James. It burned down in 1886.

Alexander McKay continued to operate the mill until his son Hugh was sufficiently experienced to take on the task of assistant miller. When Alexander died in 1886, Hugh kept the mill operational until 1904, when he sold it a former apprentice, Alexander. L .MacDonald. Under him and his son, the mill continued until 1954, when it closed. A period of deterioration followed until eventually after efforts were made to preserve the mill, it came into the hands of the Nova Scotia Provincial Museum. It is now an attractive tourist destination.

Gristmills in the Earltown Area

Howard Cavanagh built a grist mill on the North River, a little beyond our area, where a narrow carriage path led to the mill on Cavanagh's Hill. Operations ceased in 1914.

James McKay (Big Jim) built a grist mill on Nabiscump Brook, McBain's Corner (East Earltown) in 1895. His son (Long Jack) helped him run the establishment on the home farm, until a fire in 1900 destroyed everything, and the insurance did not cover the loss. The site was abandoned and 'Long Jack' moved to Western Canada.

William McKay had a mill on Fergusons Brook, which flowed into the Waugh's River. The brook ran across his property.

William Murray appears to have been operating a mill in 1834 to help Earltown and Tatamagouche, as there was no mill within 8 miles. He applied for help from the House of Assembly in Halifax for funds to build it, successfully it seems, as an experienced workman Jes. Redrick was engaged to build the mill.
It is possible that Murray belonged to the New Annan settlement.

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Area Showing Industries, Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada
1800 - 1900
Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
North Shore Archives CSHC
S.Brinkhurst
H. R. Brown

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It is possible that the first mill in Wallace Bay was built in 1786 and owned by Samuel Kipp. It was converted into a gristmill in the early 1800's by Alexander Peers or Isaac Brown who was listed as a "miller" in the 1827 census.

The Horshner "Stand of Mills" near Pugwash Junction and Post Stage Road was the largest of the water powered mills in Wallace Bay. The complex included a sawmill, gristmill and carding mill, working from the mid to late 1800s. The carding mill may have been in operation until almost 1900.
The facility was run by waterpower, possibly a turbine; there was a circular saw and a power operated carriage through a racket arrangement called a rag-wheel. Water for the mills was stored in three ponds, the first dam was below the road and having a sluice carrying water under the road to the wheel, the second dam was further up the brook and the third was back in the woods. This extensive water reserve kept the mills running late into the season, when water would otherwise be in limited supply.

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'Scotch' Mill, Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada
1898
Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
North Shore Archives CSHC
H.R. Brown, 1973

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Ackerley's Brook had two water powered sawmills. One was owned by Norman MacIvor and was set up in the woods, featuring an up-and-down saw. The other was known as the Gulf Shore Syndicate, built just north of Fanningborough Road. Constructed around the year 1870, the mill had a turbine wheel, left hand circular saw, and friction-operated power log carriage. With the rise of the portable steam mill, this operation declined.

The Wallace River was used to transport rafts of deal from Wentworth mills to Wallace, a distance of some 14 miles. The rafts were polled, and once in the harbour, were taken to ships in the Northumberland Strait for loading.

In 1861, McFarlane and Friar were supplied with a steam engine from the Pictou foundry. It was one of two steam engines in Wallace
In 1871 Heustis and Wilbur were said to have the biggest horse-powered mill, using four horses to run the circular saw, planes and turning lathes. They had a factory producing doors, flooring, sashes, furniture and farm implements.

Malagash had a saw and grist mill run by Daniel Dewar, in 1882 - 1902.

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Kerr's Mill, Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada
1900
Wallace, Nova Scotia, Canada

Credits:
Wallace and Area Museum