EDEN MILLS BY TED BARDEN

LIST OF CONTENTS.

Eden Mills
1842 Eden Mills
The Mill
Chapel Street Church
The Stage Coach
The Order of Foresters
The Town Hall
The Ball Park
The Lower Store
The Gilbertson Brothers
The Blacksmith
Presbyterian Church
Mr. Albert Burrows
The Bowstring Bridge, built in 1912
Mr. Wm. Cole House
The Hotel
The Floyd Paterson Story
Norm Thomas' Gas Station
The Gas Station across from the Hall
The General Store
The United Church
The Toronto Suburban Railway
The Mill Dam and Mill Pond
The County of Wellington Atlas
Pictures
The 150th. Anniversary
The Hortops
For Your Information
Wellington Atlas, 1906. I have #417 of a 1972 Reprint.

After having done some research, I find that it is the truthful opinion of one person's story. I find more than one version of the history. So it must be an opinion in my view. I have put some facts on paper. Some I did research on and things that I remember in my opinion to be true. This is the first time that I have done anything of this nature. This is the first time that I have done any typing and since I have only one finger that works, you will find many mistakes in the typing and also in the spelling.
But it is better than if I had been writing it. At least you can read it, if you can sort out the words that run together.
I would like to do more research at some time but don't know if I will ever get around to it. I have been going to do this writing for a long time but have just got around to it. Some people may have a different opinion of some of the facts that I have put on paper but I believe this to be true. As I said earlier, this is my opinion.

This is July, 5th., 1992.

EDEN MILLS

Eden Mills was established in 1842. It was called Kribbs Mill at that time. When Adam Argo bought the mill he changed the name to Eden Mills.
In 1929 electricity came to Eden Mills through the work of Norm Marshall and Duncan McDougall. Eden Mills became a Police Village in 1930. The first trustees were Norm Marshall, David Willson and James Gilbertson.

In 1974, when part of the village was divided between Eramosa and Nassagaweya, a bylaw was passed that the village become all Eramosa. This was done for fire protection. When it was divided the Nassagaweya part got its protection from Acton and Eramosa from Rockwood. This caused a lot of confusion. By the time the right fire station was called it was sometimes too late for the firemen to be of much good.

1842: EDEN MILLS

Eden Mills was settled in 1842 by a man, Mr. Kribs.The first post-office was in 1851. Mr. Adam Argo was the first postmaster.
In 1875 the population was 260. A Mr. Bardwell was a mason, Mr Clarck a shoemaker and Charles Cook a carpenter. Frederick Cook was a cabinet-maker and Othello Cook a cabinet-maker. John A. Davidson was township clerk. Mr. Wm. Hampson was the butcher. Wm. Hornby was shoemaker. James Hortop ran the oat-mill and Henry Hortop the gristmill and flourmill. Jackson Anthony was postmaster and agent for Montreal Telegraph Co. and the merchant, Nathaniel Long, was a wagon-maker. Mr. McKay was the stage-driver, James McLaughlen was a wagon-maker and John Martin the hotel-keeper. There were also Wm. Maartin, a carpenter, Mrs. Napper, a widow and James Nichol, a blacksmith. John Roberts was a laborer, David Shannon was a pump-maker, John Webber was a cooper and Peter Wilson a weaver.
In the early days Eden Mills had a hotel, a flour-mill, a wagon-maker, blacksmith, general store, shoe-store, cooper shop and a daily stage. The first church was of the Congregation Faith and the first minister was a Reverend H. Denny. The first circulation library was established in 1851
Many more things could be found but this is all that was in the clipping I found in The Guelph Advertiser,
THE MILL From a copy of The Wellington County Atlas.

There were 1500 copies made. I have #417. This is from a reprint of a 1906 Atlas in the 1972 edition.
In 1842 a Mr. David and Aren Kribs built a dam and erected a saw-mill. The next year they built a grist-mill. In the spring of 1846 they sold the mill property and 200 acres to Mr. Adam Argo for $5000 He remodelled the mill and changed the name from Kribs Mill to Eden Mills. He also ran a merchandising business and farmed the 200 acres. In 1852 he sold the mill to Henry Hortop. I don't know when it was built but there was an oatmeal mill on the lot where Harry Schelke's house now stands. It was torn down in 1947, the year that the dam went out. Some of the stone was used in repairing the dam.
Wm. Hortop and later Harry Hortop ran the mill in Everton. William was a brother of Henry. I was told (by an old Hortop gentleman, an uncle of Harry's) that the flour and oatmeal from these two mills won gold medals at the World Fair. My family bought the mill from Henry Hortop in 1917, in the month of March. They never made flour but ran the mill as a grist-mill for many years.

As time passed a cider mill was added. Most of the cider went to Guelph to make hard cider. As years passed, a hammer mill was added. This mill was used to grind alfalfa hay. This ground hay went to Guelph to Goldie's Mill and was mixed with other grain for animal feed. Goldie's truck was still running on hard tires at this time.
Mr. Hortop must have been a very unusual man. He left several law books which, in my time, lay on the floor on the top floor of the mill. He also had a book of mill supplies which was about 3 inches thick. This book could only be found in large wholesale offices. I was told that he built a power site about a third of a mile down the river with a tower with a big wheel and, with three towers between it and the mill, ran a cable to another wheel on the end of the mill. I understand that it was not as successful as it was thought to be. It would only run the empty mill.The first engine that I remember was a 16 horse Gilson Engine made in Guelph. This was used when there was not enough water to run the mill. Later there were several tractors and engines.
One that I remember was an Eagle Tractor. It had been restored by Mr. Mckakern of Acton. The coupling and the upright shaft from this power site down the river is now on top of the wheel in the mill.

As time went on my father and I worked for the Wellington Box Factory that ran in Mr. Burrow's mill in the early thirties. In 1934 they got into financial trouble and we bought out their business. We made cedar flats for growing plants in the greenhouse, crates to harvest the crop and also the boards to make the flats. We also cut shingles. At first we cut the shingles with a shingle-mill. After some time we changed to circular saws. Not long after I had the misfortune to have a slab come off one of the saws and strike me in the head. I was in the hospital for 30 days. This was in 1934.
In the spring of 1947 the dam went out. By the end of June we had it repaired. In the same year my grandfather passed away, on the 12th. of December. He was 84.
Things went well for several years till, on the first of July, my father passed away. Soon after I purchased a new truck (this was in the plans when my father was still alive). As time went by I purchased a new gang saw. The water wheel didn't have enough power to drive it, so I got a diesel engine.
Things went well for a few years till, on the 28th. of November 1968, fire destroyed the whole thing. The diesel engine was all that was left as it was outside. I got the roof on part of the building and started back with a shingle mill. As things got growing good again I purchased a full sized mill. This mill was too large for the old mill so I had to build a new piece on the outside. After I got it set up I cut the lumber to put the roof on the rest of the mill.
As time went by things changed and the wooden crates were not able to be used. For years there were used crate dealers that picked up crates from the stores and growers were using the crates that had chicken and meat shipped in them. The law stopped the use of these wooden crates and now all the crates are made of cardboard. There was still use for the wood crates as the cardboard crates would not stand up when piled in the cold storage. Now the gardener wants large bins to fetch the produce from the fields
On July 2nd. 1972 my mother passed away. At this time I became the owner and ran it till, on February 16, 1980 fire struck again. After I got the mess cleaned up I retired. On the fifth of May I sold the mill along with 17 acres to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Simon.

CHAPEL STREET CHURCH.

The first Congregation Church in Eden Mills was on Chapel Street. It opened for worship on June 11, 1853. Reverend Denny was the pastor. It stood on Chapel Street where Bill Adair's house stands. For several years the trustees of the Eden Mills Cemetery met in this frame building. On the 28th. of June, 1875 the surviving trustees released the land to Mr. Henry Hortop. He raised the building and put a stone foundation under it.
I have been told that the mill had horses that were used to deliver flour to Burlington and Hamilton. After we came to Eden Mills my grandfather had a team of driving horses. We had some cows and sold milk to part of the village. As time passed the church got in need of repair, so I tore it down.

THE STAGE COACH.

In 1883 and 1884 a daily stage coach ran through to Guelph. I did not find out much about this.
A Thomas Coulson ran the store at that time. He also ran the post office. He drove to Guelph three days a week with a horse and wagon for supplies. Anyone wishing to ride with him did so.

THE ORDER OF FORESTERS.

In 1888 a group known as the Court Lodge of Eden Mills #305 of the Independent Order of Foresters was formed. There were about 48 members. In 1915 the Lodge was discontinued.

EDGEWOOD PARK.

I believe that the park was established in 1925. Bill and Jim Gilbertson, Alex Mitchell and Wm. Wilson pulled out stones and trees, graded the roads and graveled the roads. This was all done with horses. The gravel came from the Barden pit. Wm. Wilson's son, Ben, remembers that this was the start of the park. It was owned by Mr. Duncan McDougal.
I believe that Mr. John Dyre framed the timbers for the hall. I remember that I was there when they raised the timbers and put the building together.

Later a swimming-pool was put in and changing rooms were built. The first baseball diamond was also in the park. There were picnic tables and picnic shelters. There was a shuffleboard court. As time went by several cottages were built and were rented out in the summer. Duncan McDougal had a pair of monkeys in a cage.
The park owner, Duncan McDougal, held dances on Saturday nights. The Corn Huskers and the Rocky Mountaineers were two of the bands that played. Gilbert Kingsbury called off for the square dances. Admission was 40 cents for men and 25 cents for the ladies. There were a lot of picnics held in the park at that time. This was at the time that the railway was in operation.
Sometime in 1944 the Lutheran Church bought the park. They ran a summer camp for children. They also had picnics and had people stay in the cottages.
As time went by the hall that had been used as a kitchen and dining-room was replaced. A group of Mennonites took the old building down. It was replaced with a new and more modern building with better kitchen facilities. The hall was larger and better for meetings and as a dining-room.
Some years ago they dredged out a lake next to the river. It is not very deep.

THE TOWN HALL.

On September 8th., 1892 Mr. Henry Hortop and his wife gave a part of an acre of land to the trustees of the town hall committee on which the first hall was built. As time went by a feud developed between the Order of Foresters and the local committee and the hall was burned down around 1915. The present hall was built in 1916. I believe that Mr. Reg. Rudd was the contractor. The funds for the new hall were raised by selling shares for $10 each. I have a copy of one my father bought in 1917 signed by Mr. William Argo and Mr. R. E. Rudd. A Mr. Wm. Cole tells that the bricks were hauled by wagon from the reformatory siding at Watson Road.
In 1973 an L.I.P. grant was received in the amount of #20,652. This was to give help to people that were on unemployment insurance. This employment was to last for 17 weeks. Mr. David Masson was one of the trustees at that time. Harold Tomlinson was supervisor of the work. Travis Clifford did the planning and designing of this work. The hall was made much larger at this time and bathrooms were added.

In June of 1990 one of the oil tanks sprung a leak and spilled 400 gallons of oil in the basement. It soaked all the carpet and up the walls. The walls and everything had to be replaced. This work was all done by local help. Mr. Ed. Wonderink built the new cupboards and installed them. We are well into 1990 and there are still some small things left to do.

THE BALL PARK.

In 1947 the land for the ball park was, I believe, donated by Mr. Wilk Wilson and Duncan McDougal. As Edgewood Park had been sold we had no place to play ball. We got a bunch of fellows together and formed a team. We went on to win the Ontario Championship that year. The last game was played in Fenwick. The score was 8 - 6. After the playoffs started we never lost a game. We should have won the next year but a ball got caught in the screen and we didn't have a ground rule to cover that part of the game.
Several years later flood-lights were installed. A Mr. Wm. Cole was the driving force behind the financing. The money was all raised by public donations. They were installed by local people. At that time there were a lot of fellows that worked for the hydro or were electricians. Before this a booth was built. This raised a good amount of money that was handled by the Community Club. This in turn proved to be the way a lot of the community club funds were raised. The community had been formed soon after the park was formed. In 1955 flood lights were installed. Some years later new lights were installed on the same poles. As years passed a fence was put around the outfield.

THE LOWER STORE.

I don't remember but Mrs. Wilda McDougal tells me that Mr. and Mrs. James Gilberson lived in part of the store. Their daughter was born there. She married a Mr. Gordon Stevenson. He was a veterinary.

A Mr. and Mrs. Les Frood were the first store-keepers that I remember. Mrs. Frood's father lived with them. His name was Mr. Giles. This was when the railway was running. Beside running the store Mr. Giles and Mr. Frood loaded turnips for a Mr. Barry of Roskwood. They bagged the turnips to load the box-cars. They shipped several cars a winter. When they sold the store they lived at the end of Cedar Street.
Mrs. Frood built a lot of stone wall on a new addition. She also built a stone shed. She was not a stone-mason but had a way of her own. She also had a lot to do with the opening of the United Church.
Lloyd and Anna Coulson were the next ones to operate the store. Her father lived there too. After some years Lloyd and Anna separated and he married a Beatrice Cole. They moved to Arkel, a small town near Eden Mills, and ran the store there for several years. Some years later Anna married Stan Wilson. Some years after Stan's death she sold the store to a Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson. They were not liked very much as they had some pin-ball machines that got a lot of attention from the children. They were from Brampton.

THE GILBERTSON BROTHERS.

There were three brothers: James ("Jim"), William ("Bill) and Herb. Herb worked for the City of Guelph. He drove a steam-roller that was used for street repairs. This was before gas and diesel rollers were in use. At one time he may have farmed some. This is 1991 and his wife is still alive but is in the hospital and not well. Mrs. Gilbertson is 91.

Jim and Bill were married to two Anderson sisters, Kate and Sadie, in that order and they lived in the same house most all their lives. They had two steam engines, two threshing machines and two cutting boxes. These were used for cutting the corn and blowing it up into the silo. In the fall they had two routes that they did threshing for the farmers. They moved from farm to farm threshing the grain from the straw. At first this was done in the barn but as time went on they started stook threshing. This saved a lot of work, not having to put it in the barn. As time passed the combine took over. The corn was an operation much the same as the threshing. They travelled from farm to farm putting the corn in the silo. They had men in the field that loaded the corn on the wagons and brought it to the silo. The last few years the steam changed to gas and diesel. Jim had a wheel tractor and Bill got a caterpillar. As time passed and this type of harvesting changed, a thunderstorm struck their barn and it was destroyed. Their engines and threshing machines were all that was left but that type of work had run its course. In early days they did a lot of sawing. They would cut off a bush in the winter and saw it in the spring. They did a lot of this work for a Mr. Campbell I believe. As time passed this work came to an end.
They moved the mill to Eden Mills and set it up at the end of Chapel Street. It ran there for a number of years and was powered by steam. Later they changed to diesel power. The 50 H.P. diesel didn't have the power that the 20 H.P. steam had. Later they moved it down to the Mountsberg Conservation Park. I believe it still operates there.
At one time they ran a stone crusher at a pit on the Guelph Road. The pit was on the left side of the road just past the Blue Springs River. The crushed gravel was used for road repairs. They used a drag line to bring the gravel up to the crusher. A drag line was a long cable with a bucket on it. This was run by one man with levers and drums that the cable ran around. The Gilbertson ladies both lived to be over ninety.

THE BLACKSMITH.

The Bardens came here in 1917, about the same time the McIntoshes came. They were English. He had a blacksmith's shop next to the hotel. There was also a barn next to the shop. They lived in the house across the road. As time went by they had three children Alex, George and Sarah. He did horse-shoeing, fixed buggies, set tires for wagons. He did all kinds of repairs to wagons. It was said that he was one of the best in this part of the country. People came from all over the country to get him to shoe their show horses and race horses I did not do any research about this but may some day.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.

It is recorded in the registry office, September 28, 1866, that James Argo and his wife deeded the last half of Lot 1, Concession 2 to the Eden Mills Presbyterian Church. The builder was Robert Lamb. The church was opened for worship in November 1887. A Mr. Ramsay tells about bringing a piece of limestone back from Kirk Alloway, an old place of worship in Scotland and it is placed in the sixth block up from the foundation between the door and the right hand window.

The first church stood across the street from the present church. The stone foundation can still be seen. As you drive into the churchyard there is a square block of cement that was for the ladies to step down from the buggies. In 1937 the ladies and men went to the international ploughing match at Fergus. They carried this on for several years. They served meals at these matches. The money that they raised from these matches was used to fix the basement in the church. Later an electric organ was installed and work on the manse was done. They worked for twenty years at these matches. In recent years the horse sheds were torn down. The most recent thing they've done was to put in the washrooms. I have now come across the Centennial Anniversary Book of 1862, 1962. There are eight pages in this story of the church.
In 1857 a few inhabitants belonging to the United Presbyterian Church in Canada petitioned the Wellington Presbytery to form them into a congregation at Eden Mills
In 1860 the inhabitants connected with the Canadian Presbyterian Church applied to the Hamilton Presbytery to organize a preaching station at Eden Mills. In September 1861 those connected with the Wellington Presbytery asked to be formed into a regular congregation. In 1862 Eden Mills along with a group from Rockwood petitioned the presbytery, now known as the Guelph Presbytery to supply them with a minister. The Reverend William Barrie was appointed. On May 15th.,1862 Presbytery appointed Henry Scott of Eramosa Church in Eramosa and John McAlpine of Nassagaweya Church to act as elders until a session could be formed. Mr. John A. Davidson was the first session clerk. Later George Barnet and John Esson were inducted and constituted the first session on September 12th., 1962. A preparatory service was held and 44 members were received into membership on profession of faith.
A Mr. Samuel Geddes left a considerable amount of money to the church and in 1907 the stained glass windows were installed.
At this time in the book a Mr. Crastor Scott who attended the early church vouched that the pews ran lengthwise. There were two doors, one at each end of the church and a collection box at each door. The church was of roughcast and was across from the present church.
In 1886 a subscription reads, "We promise to pay the sums subscribed opposite our names to erect a new church. Payments to be made before January, 1888." Fifty people signed.

In 1920 a lighting system was installed and in 1921 a new organ was installed. In 1962 the Diamond Jubilee was celebrated by the congregation with two former ministers: Rev. J. T. Hall taking the morning service and Rev. J. A Cranston the evening one. The Rev. John Little was the minister at the time.
Of interest: Mr. J. A. Ramsay was appointed and rang the bell from 1920 till 1938.
William Lowrie tolled the bell till 1939. Mr. Stanley Wilson carried on till 1947.
In 1937 the Ladies' Aid Society set out to raise money. They bought stoves, boilers and camping equipment and went to the Fergus ploughing match. They served dinners there. This went on for several years. In 1941 a basement was suggested and the excavation was done. Mr. Roy Gordon was chairman, Mr. J. A. Milne was the treasurer.
In 1939 Mr. Grover Gallagher made a fine baptismal font for the cost of the material. On Mothers' Day of 1939 Margaret Early, Donald Blacklock and Marilyn Wilson, granddaughter of Mr. Gallagher, were the first to be baptized at the new font. In 1957 the young people donated a pulpit bible and hymn board. Also, with help from the Ladies' Aid, a new communion table. Mr. Duncan McDougall donated a service board at the front of the church in memory of his wife, Edith McDougall.
In 1958 Mr. James A. Gordon gave a sum of money in memory of his wife for a pulpit fall. In 1950 the church was beautifully decorated. This work was done by a Mr. Gordon Couling. The walls were a pastel shade and the mural behind the pulpit is a painting similar to Holman Hunt's "Light of the World".
On March 5th., 1931 a society was formed called the Sunshine Group: President, Mrs. James Gilbertson; secretary, Mrs. George Robertson; treasurer, Mrs. Robert Borthwick. In 1933 this organization became the Ladies' Aid Society.

MR. ALBERT BURROWS.

Mr. Burrows had several holdings when we came to Eden Mills. I will start with the saw mill. It was at the end of Wilson Street. He also owned the house across from the mill where Mr. Mino lived. There was a saw mill and a planing mill, also a machine shop. The mills were both run by steam power. There was a stone foundation under the saw mill part of the mill. The log yard was on the river side of the mill. In later years he changed the log yard over to the other side of the mill where Mr. Mino lived at that time. There was an elevated track from the mill across to the yard. The last big cut that he made was when I was going to school. It was the bush across from the nursing home. It was the Fraser Auld place at that time.
In the 1930's a Mr. Smith and his two sons started up a box factory. They made boxes, referred to as flats, for market gardens and florists to grow plants in their greenhouses. Soon after this they ran into financial problems. We took over and moved the business to our mill.
It wasn't many years after this that Albert died and the mill and the house were sold. Mr. Garnet McDougal bought the machine shop. Mr. Ralph Thomson bought the saw mill and Mr. Pries the house where Mr. Mino lived.
As I mentioned, Mr. Pries bought the house at the sale. There was a large piece of property with the house. Later Mr. Pries bought some more property from a Mr. George Hampson where he built several houses. Albert also owned the little stone cottage where Mrs. Schultie lives; farther up the street where Mr. Ralph Thompson lives; around the corner on York Street where Mrs. Chesworth lives. Also, on this same property there was a little stone barn that was later changed into a house. A Mr. Knegt lives there now.
Farther up the street was Aga's station.Later it was the Eden Furniture Gallery. This was also owned by Mr. Albert Burrows. It was a frame building at the back of the lot and was moved up to the front of the lot and was first a garage. Next door is Eden Place. A Carol Reid and Vicki Janson run it now. We go down Cedar Street to the United Church. Mr. Burrows owned it for a short time. He stored his steam engines and other equipment there for a short time. When the church wanted it back he sold it back for the same price that he paid for it. Now we go up to Main Street where he owned the hotel. Across the street were the horse sheds. After they were torn down the red brick house next to the store was built.

THE BOWSTRING BRIDGE, BUILT IN 1912.

In the centre of the village, the County Engineer says the County has known about the deficiencies of the bridge since 1965 and have done very little to keep it from deteriorating. Roy Skelton, an engineer, says it would cost $5,500,00 for a new bridge and about $400,000 to repair it.
The other bridge is also in need of repair.The road from the highway and the two bridges in question have been supposed to have been looked after by the County but have not had any major repair for many years. At a meeting in the Township offices on November 28, 1990, it was decided that the County would turn the above-mentioned road and bridges over to the township.
In 1990 some work was done. They poured some cement to support the arches and did some work on some of the posts. The township also put a new top on the road. Later, a Mr. Holmes estimated it would cost $80,000 to make the bridge safe for a ten ton load. I remember many years ago they, the county, had a company there and they did some test hole drilling in the rock as if they were going to build a new bridge.

MR. WM. COLE HOUSE.

Mr. and Mrs. Cole lived at the top of the hill on Wilson Street on the left side. Mr. Cole worked for Mr. Fred Blow of Acton. I don't remember what he worked at but he worked in Acton. He had a large chicken house and garden. In the summer they ran a summer resort. People came from Toronto and some stayed for the summer, others just for the weekends. They had three children. The son, George, worked for Mr. Ab Burrows. He ran the machine shop. Later he had a small saw and engine and made some flats for garden greenhouses. The machine shop was where Travis Clifford lives. The place was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Stevenson. They had a large family. Gordon was a veterinary doctor. He worked on new veterinary medicine.
As years passed he had the misfortune to come up with some kind of a disease on a trip to the U.S.A. and passed away. The place was sold to a Mr. Shaw. He sold several lots along Wilson Street and one off the Indian Trail where Mr. and Mrs. Doug Black live. He is a lawyer and has a practice in Rockwood. The next lot was also sold but I don't know who it was sold to.

THE HOTEL.

The hotel is believed to have been built in 1867. There were twelve rooms, a large room on the second floor where dances were held. There was a kitchen in the basement, food being sent up on a dumb waiter. Liquors were sold at the bar on the ground floor. There was a trap door in the floor of the veranda. They put the barrels down to the wine cellar.
J. Harris was the hotel-keeper. The hotel changed hands in 1869. Charles Ingles was the new owner. 1883 Joseph Zinger purchased the hotel and was the last to run it as a hotel. Albert Burrows owned it when we came to Eden Mills. He lived in it for some time. He had several houses. After he moved out there were several businesses. A Mr. Glendenning ran a butcher's shop; a Mr. Earl Tarswel ran a glove shop; a Mr. Collingridge was a barber. Lloyd Nevile was the next owner. He tore off the frame part. This was the rooms' part of the hotel. The stand-up bar from the hotel is now in the Mohawk Inn on the Guelph Line, between the 401 and the race-track. The back-bar with the glasses and bottles and the drawers in the bottom is at the Wellington Inn in Guelph at the mall at 245 Edinburgh Road.

THE FLOYD PATERSON STORY.

Some years ago Floyd Paterson built a new house on the Indian Trail. He had half a dozen girls move in, ladies of the night or better known as prostitutes. They seemed to have a very good business going by the extra traffic that used the road. They used one of the hotels in Guelph as an office to make appointments. They didn't seem to cause much trouble other than that sometimes people trying to phone them would get some of the local ladies on the phone. This upset some of them. One night some of the local boys called on them but could not get in. The ladies must have called the police. When the driver of the car got home the police were there and told them not to bother the girls. This wasn't so bad but he had quite a time explaining it to his mother. As time went by one of the girls got pregnant. She had a quack doctor abortion and didn't get along well. So they had a medical doctor come in to see her. As soon as he got there he could see the game that was going on. He called the police to keep out of trouble. They left soon after this and took up quarters in Acton I heard.

NORM THOMAS' GAS STATION.

At the corner of Wilson and York Streets Herb Taylor opened a gas station. It was a small building with a roof out over two gas pumps. He sold gas, oil, candy, gum and smoking supplies. M. Taylor, I am told, was a stone mason by trade. He fell while working on the church of lady and had a bad head injury. This happened in Guelph. Mr. Taylor sold to Mr. Norm Thomas who built a new garage. He sold gas and oil and did repair work. Years later he added a lunch-counter and sold things that went along with a lunch-counter.
As years passed he was forced to close the gas part of the business as the tanks had passed their life-time in the ground and it would have been too costly to put in new tanks on account of the rocks. Also there was not enough setback from the road to put in new pumps.
Sometime during this period his wife, Sadie, became ill with multiple sclerosis. She spent a long time in the hospital on the mountain in Hamilton.

THE GAS STATION ACROSS FROM THE HALL.

A barn owned by Mr. A. D. Burrows was moved from the back of the lot to the front of the lot. With some remodelling it was opened as a gas station. It was operated by a Mr. Jeff Burrows. He was an uncle of Mr. Albert Burrows. A Mr. Wm. Mino dug the pit that was used at that time. This was before they had hoists. He sold gas and did general auto repairs. Later his brother, Ron Burrows, worked for him. They had a very good business. They were well liked and were local people.
As time went by the business was sold to a Mr. John Funk. He did very much the same business. His wife, Ann, had the misfortune to have their car run away from in front of the general store while she was in the store getting the mail. It ran down the hill and upset over the wall into the tail-race from the mill. Over the years there have been many other cars and trucks run away from in front of the store. There was a gas truck owned by Imperial Oil. Another time a pop truck ran down and hit the mill. These had nothing to do with the Funk mishap.

THE GENERAL STORE.

The general store was built in 1877 by a Samuel Meadows. Eden Mills post-office was established July 6, 1851, by Adam Lind Argo. The first post office building used was a frame building next to the general store. The large stone fire-place on the property where Mary Rogers lives is all that remains.
Some of the owners: Sam Meadows, Adam Argo, Anthony Jackson, Robert Cowan, Thomas A. Mason, John Roche, Thomas B. Coulson, George Spence, Joseph Moore, T. H. Webb, Robert Root, Wm. Vance, Asa Johnson, W. M. Milne. He was the father to Jim Milne, the last one to run the mill in Rockwood. One of these early people in 1883 was agent for the Great N. W. Telegraph Co. N. S. Marshall was the next owner. After some years he built the addition on the side of the store. Nelson Mino and my father dug out the rock. This in turn was put up the side of the dam. The railway was running at this time. Norm. Marshall built a store shed and weight scales down at the railway station. In this shed he stored bran shorts and other animal feed products from the flour industry. He also sold grass seed and molasses which came in forty gallon barrels. He also sold gas and oil. He also did some tin-smithing. He made stove-pipes, fixed pails and did other repairs. He also did eavestroughing. After the railway stopped the coal and feed business came to a close. The sheds that he built were down by the railway in what is now part of Edgewood Park.
John Turner, then came Dave Banks, Brent and Ann Richards, David and Carol Lyons. The last to run the store was Mark Holman. The store and the post-office closed August 31, 1990. Carol Lyons was the last post-mistress. After the post office closed there were green post boxes in the lot by the hall. Later they had some new boxes. They must have been made in the U.S.A. as you can't get a key made in Ontario.

THE UNITED CHURCH.

The United Church was built in 1861. It was closed for several years in the 1900's. Mr. Albert Burrows owned it for several years. He stored his steam engines and other equipment in it. When the church wanted it back in 1925 he sold it back to them for the same price as he paid for it.
It was rededicated in 1926 and joined the Nassagaweya circuit with Arkell and Ebenezer. This still remains today.

A Mr. Robert Tuck was the first Sunday school teacher. He lived on the first farm on the right going out to Acton. He was followed by Mr. Fraser Auld. They were very fine gentlemen and were addressed as "Mr." by most people. Mr. Frood, who ran the general store, was next. Then Henry Leslie, he had the farm on the left across from the graveyard. Alex McIntosh, N. S. Marshall, John McIntosh, Fred Gardiner, Mrs. Dorothy Townsend, Mrs. Mabel Parker, Mrs. Freda Thompson, Lorna Thomlinson, Verna Blair, Wilma Fuller, Barb Parker, Cathy Cross. A Mr. Marsh was the first minister at this new charge. The Reverend M.C. Gandier followed. They lived in the red brick house next to the store. They were followed by theRev. R. H. Somerville, W. D. Clark, Mr. Kippin, Rev. Pickersgill, the Reverends Wm. Slin, Ken Griffiths, Robert Hadcock, W. Leeman, R. Finley and Winston who is the present pastor. A Mr. Gandier also preached.
The pews were donated by the Binkley United Church of Hamilton. I don't remember when the kitchen was built on the back. About 1959 a Franklin organ was installed. A Mr. Edwin Watson was the first organist. He ran a music store in Acton. The front porch was built by Mr. Wilk Wilson and was dedicated on September 16, 1962. The last horse sheds in the village were torn down to make room for the kitchen. The farmers that came to the mill used these sheds. Some of this information I got from a September 16, 1970 edition of the Acton Free Press. They got it from Mr. Norm Marshall.
From another source I find that the first mention of the church purchasing property was January 31, 1902. A Jane and Wm. Drew sold a quarter of an acre for twenty-five dollars to the trustees of the Eden Mills Methodist Church and that it closed in 1920.

THE TORONTO SUBURBAN RAILWAY.

The Toronto Suburban Railway was surveyed in 1912 by a Donald Mann. He lived in Acton. It was built by McKenzie and Mann and started operation on April 14, 1917. It ran until August 15, 1931. I was fortunate to ride on it the last trip that it made.

It started on Carden Street in Guelph across from the C. N. Station. It ran on the tracks of the Guelph Street Railway down Carden Street to Gordon Street, to the bottom of the colegh hill in Guelph, on to Bay Street, out to Eden Mills, on to Acton and through the many towns to Toronto. It ended up at the corner of Keele and Dundas Streets.
It was operated by one man who was both motorman and conductor. One of these men was a brother to the Gilbertson ladies. His name was Elmer Anderson.
As well as a passenger train it ran a freight train. In the summer time it was used to take passengers to the parks along the way. There were a lot of picnics at Edgewood Park and at Blue Springs Park which is now a scout camp. The freight train brought coal, cement and livestock feed like bran and other by-products of the flour industry. Mr. N. S. Marshall had a large storage shed there by the tracks. A Mr. Barry from Rockwood shipped turnips and Mr. Frood and his father-in-law bagged the turnips in 50 pound bags. There were a lot of turnips grown in this area. It kept them busy all winter. Mr. Marshall also had a large weigh scale that he used to weigh the coal for sale. There was a stone quarry in the area where Steve Lowry's house is and a lot of stone was shipped to Toronto.
Some of the other places that it went to were Limehouse, Norval, Streetsville, Cooksville and Islington. It also took people to picnics at Huttonville and Eldorado Parks. A Mr. R. J. Robson was the last station agent.
A lot of this information is to be found at the museum on the Guelph Line.
In 1935 the tracks were torn up and some of the land went back to the farms that it was taken from in the first place. In the last few years there was a lot of trouble over a piece of the old road-bed . Guelph wanted to put a pipe line on the part that was used for a hiking trail through Camp Edgewood.

THE MILL DAM OR MILL POND.

In 1842 the Kribs brothers built the mill and the dam. From a boat you can see what looks like there was a dam out from where the present upper dam is. From the rocks it would seem like there had been a dam. I don't remember, but I seem to remember my father telling that there was a leak at the gates and that they had to blast some cement out to stop the leak. If you look around you can see some blocks of cement, one in the wall on Harry Schelkes' place and one over at the other side where the water runs over the cement wall where the gates used to be before the dam went out in 1947. The flood was not very bad that year. It is believed that the frost must have heaved the ground and the water went under the frozen ground. It went out in the night without any cause for alarm.
My grandfather, my father and myself built up the stone wall across the dam and changed the flood-gates to where the washout was. This is when the old oatmeal mill was torn down. A lot of the stone went into the walls of the dam. We put up forms to hold the cement. We had this work all done by the first of June.
The cost of material for repairing the dam at that time was: 210 bags of cement at 73 cents a bag = $153.30, 40 bags of cement = $40.00, 50 eight inch cement blocks at 16 cents = $8.00, 20 yards of gravel from McKenzie Brothers = $33.50. A total of $234.80.
The Eden Mills Pond Association Inc., a charitable organization, was founded in 1989.
In August of 1989 they applied for a grant from the Environment of Canada. This was approved in February of 1990. They received $41,500. The total budget was $83,080.00. Labour cost at the rate of $5.00 per hour = $5,400.00 (this was local labour). Other grants were the Provincial Government - $5,000, Laidlaw Foundation - 5,000, Peacock - $5,000, McGeachern - $1,000, Great Lakes - $2,400. The Rod and Gun Club and Blair Construction also made donations. There is also a list of other donations.
Gunnite of Kitchener did the main walls. They put steel rods and wire mesh on the walls. Then they applied the cement with a machine called "gunnite".
Star Construction Co. of Kitchener did the repair to the walls below the dam at a cost of $6,700.
The upper dam was also repaired in 1991. They installed flood gates and repaired the dam. A lot of stone and gravel was used. A lot of plastic was used in with the gravel and stone. This was to hold the stone and gravel in place.
The directors were Joe Martin, Richard Lea, Larry Cousins, Rick Dickison, John Gumer, Doug Durell and Read Davis. Steps were also installed for the swimming.
I have a clipping from the Guelph Mercury that the Canada Trust also made a donation of $2,000 to Pamela Durell, chairman of the donations committee. I got a lot of these facts and figures from Mr. King.

The people that looked after the repairs to the dam did a very good job but forgot that after the dam was fixed their work had just begun. They didn't seem to know that when there were heavy rainfalls the gates had to be taken out to look after the flood. I had a foot of water on my garden five times and so my garden was no good. I didn't have any tomatoes or potatoes. Maybe, some day, they will learn. At least one would hope so.

THE COUNTY OF WELLINGTON ATLAS edition 0f 1906 , I have number 417. I have number 417. There were 1500 copies made and it was printed by Maracle Press, Oshawa, Ontario.

The first township meeting was held at the house of Mr. David Kribs on the first Monday of January, 1827. The minutes of the meeting are in the possession of Mr. Hugh Black, the Township clerk. Mr. Kribs was also the assessor.
Eden Mills was started in 1842 by David and Aaron Kribs who built a dam and erected a saw-mill. The next year they commenced the building of a grist mill. In the spring of 1864 they sold the whole property including two hundred acres of land to Adam L. Argo who remodelled the mill. He also changed the name of Kribs Mill to the name of Eden Mills.
Adam L. Argo and his brother, James, came to Canada about 1836 from Aberdeenshire, Scotland and set up farming near Winterbourn in Woolwich Township. He sold his share of the farm . After several businesses he came to Eden Mills where he bought out Kribs' gristband sawmill and 1500 acres of land. He built a new sawmill and ran a merchandise business and also ran the farm.
In 1850 he sold out to Henry Hortop who was the proprietor when this Atlas was printed. I find no record of where Mr. Hortop came from but I did no research.
In 1917 Mr. Henry Hortop sold the mill to Mr. James and Henry Barden. When my grandfather passed away, my father took over and, at his passing, I became the owner after two fires, one on the 28th. of November, 1968, the other on the 5th. of February, 1980. After I got this mess cleared up I sold the mill along with 17 acres of land most of which is in the mill pond.

Adam James Argo came to Eramosa in 1841. He married Ann McDonald. He passed away in 1894. William succeeded him on the homestead. He had three children - Anna, Ruth, Ross. Ross lives in Guelph. I saw him at the wake of Susie Wilson who passed away in her 95th. year. Her husband was Wilk Wilson who I have mentioned earlier. Adam spent six years on the Township Council. He was also Deputy Reeve for two years.
Some history of Rockwood.
In 1853 a Mr. William Wetherald opened a school which afterwards became known as the Rockwood Academy. It was famous and attracted many pupils from different parts of the province.
This picture with the five people is of my great-grandmother, my father and my mother along with my twin sister and her brother. The other picture shows my grandfather standing in the mill door.
The building is taken from where Millie Webb lived. It is now Miss Roger's place. Millie later became my grandfather's wife. He was married the second time. The large stone fireplace that still stands was in this building. This was where the first post office was I am told and most people believe that this is true.
The lower picture of the mill shows the mill sheds and the barn that belonged to the general store. Across the street where the brick house stands was, I believe, the old cooper shop. There was a stone foundation or at least part of one. When we came to Eden Mills a Mr. Webb lived there. He was a very old gentleman with a long white beard. I believe this to be true because some years after the war there was a sale and all the planes and wood-working tools were sold. I had them for many years till the mill was burned down. After my grandfather was married to Millie Webb he kept his car there. I believe that Webb is not spelled right above.

150TH ANNIVERSARY OF EDEN MILLS

On the weekend of the 28th. and 29th. of June 1992, the 150th. anniversary of the founding of Eden Mills was celebrated. The committee that did all the planning put a lot of work into the planning of the things that were going to happen on the weekend. It turned out to be a fine weekend and the parade got off on time. The parade was led by the police, then the Rockwood Fire Department, Mr. Bush (our local bagpiper) followed by Mr. Hank Theakers' 1911 red Ford. I had the honour of being chosen to be the parade marshal and rode in this car along with my wife, Evelyn. Then came Fred Rinehart with his 1938 Chevrolet, Mrs. Wilma Gilbertson who lives in Guelph now. She is 96 years old. She was in a very sporty roadster. The Guides and Brownies had a beautiful float. Then there was a Lion's Club member in a small plane flanked by children with their decorated bicycles. Barb Marshall with her wig and flounced dress was among them. Batwoman was there along with the Cunningham Jamieson family group dresses as a moth and imaginative birds. They were followed by Mel "Squeak" Tolton dressed as a chubby baby with bonnet and diaper. He had had an accident and the results had run down his leg. A historic Eden Mills float had a windmill, also the gardeners with their baskets of flowers. The card club was there also. Richard Lay did a portage with his canoe. He didn't find any water till later in the day when he took a canoe trip on the pond.
There was Susan Bruce with a colourful quilt display. The United Church float with the pews and choir had a good turn out in the congregation. The Optimist Club was there as were several horse-riders and more antique cars. There was also a float with feathered Indians. A fire-truck was the last of the parade. The firemen had two men taking a collection for the Muscular Dystrophy Fund. The parade was well attended by a large crowd of adults and children. Doug and Mary Black were there in authentic costumes. Doug was the chair-person. Ann Chesworth was there in her peach costume. Ann had put out an illustrated booklet for the people as a guide to tour the many older homes of the village. These had numbers as a guide.
The Community Hall had many displays of photos of the past and present: the United and Presbyterian Churches, the Barden, Marshall and McDougall families. The Guides and Brownies had a display of the past 20 years. Wilma Fuller baked a 3-layer cake and it was on display in the Hall. There were many old tools and lamps. There was an old-time corn planter that dropped three seeds at a time and a very old antique washing aid that few people had ever seen. The Bardens both had displays. Eve had many old hats, Ted had a display of old and modern skates, also some old ball pictures. Outside the Hall Captain Hazel Leighton had a display about the Block Parents' Association.

At noon-time the judging began with Doug Black, Ed Langevin, Leon Rooke, Charles Simon and Jan Isbrucker. n the bikes Claire Paller was first, then Christine Marshall as Miss Canada, third was Nathan Sonoda, Mac and Devon Born as Superman and Batman and Catwoman Vicki Dixon.
The judging of the floats came next. There were several honourable mentions: the Lions, celebrating their 20th. anniversary, the United Church float, the Bat family with their original costumes. The trophy winner was the Eden Mills Forever float with Mel Tolton.
For the official opening ceremony Doug Black was joined on stage by Hon. Wm. Winegard, our Federal M.P., Ted Arnott, Provincial M.P., Dr. Leverne Harris, the Township Reeve and the Grand Marshall of the parade, Ted Barden and Evelyn Barden.The program opened with the singing of "O Canada". Debbie Tilson led the singing. Dr.Winegard presented two framed communications for the village: one was a letter from Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mr. Black accepted on behalf of the Community Club. Mr. Arnott brought best wishes on this important date in Eramosa history. Doug noted, when introducing Reeve Harris, that the Harris family had come to Eramosa just before Eden Mills was formed. Harris gave a brief history of the area from the first surveyor' maps in 1818; Ted Barden told of his time in the village and welcomed all to the celebration and wished that they have a good time. About this time there was a barbecue at the hall. Most people enjoyed this break in the program. From the hall the program went to the park where there were several ball games and pony rides. The Rockwood Oldtimers won the final game.
The party started on Friday night with a teens dance in the hall. There was also a dance on the Saturday night. Both dances were well attended.
On Sunday, at 2.30, things started with an old-time hymn sing led by the combined choruses of the United and Presbyterian Churches. This was held in the ball park. Rev. Wayne Allen of the Presbyterian Church and Rev. Bruce Bartleman of the Lutheran camp were the speakers. Organist Margaret Blacklock accompanied the combined choir.

Earlier in the day a pig was put on to roast. It was enjoyed later in the day. Susan Allen, for the Moms and Tots group, provided homemade pies. These were enjoyed after the pig. At 2p.m. the children gathered for songs led by Debbie Tilson. A Mr. Vince Wall followed with some exciting stories. There was face painting, a fish pond and races. At the same time tickets were being sold for the draws later in the day. Dale Hamilton's travelling group did a part of their play called "Shivaree". There was also horseshoe pitching going outside the fence. Tom Parker won the trophy. Mary Black had a game for "over fifties". This was a lot of fun.
At this time the raffle winners were picked. The $100 gift certificate was won by Mrs. Arley Roy of Guelph. This was donated by the Eden Craft Store. Second prize, a wooden wine rack, went to John Knegt of Eden Mills. Raggedy Ann dolls went to H. Meems of Cambridge. A dinner at La Vieille Auberge of Rockwood was won by Jake Roelofsen. There was congratulations to the winners and also thanks to the donors. The proceeds from the pig roast will go towards playground equipment.
Doug Black was the chair-person of the volunteers of the various committees that put in a lot of time putting the program together. This group was made up of the following members: Debbie and Barb Marshall, Mary Black, Larry Cousins, Joyce George, Evelyn Barden, John Gmur. Debbie and Jan Gould were in charge of the dance. Joyce and Larry estimated the amount of food required. The parade was carefully planned as to safety hazards. "In case of need there was a mechanic on standby." The Parade Marshall was Doug Durell assisted by Barb Marshall. T-shirts were designed by Susan Gmur and were sold by her husband, John Gmur. John also made and put up the large signs. Joyce George made the lovely dolls. The kids' festivities were in the hands of Barb Marshall. A visiting chef from the Royal York, Peter George, helped with the food preparation.
" THE HORTOPS"
At one time the mills at Eden Mills, Rockwood and Everton were owned by Hortops. Henry Hortop ran the mill in Eden Mills.
I don't know what his name was but they called him "Tag". He ran the mill in Rockwood. William ran the mill in Everton. His son, Harry, was the last to run the mill. It is now owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority.

I recall an uncle of Harry's being at the mill and telling me that at one time the flour and oatmeal from the mills in Eden Mills won gold medals. From another source, a Mr. Fraser Auld tells the same thing and this happened in a competition in Scotland. This same Mr. Hortop told me that the old mill in Toronto ran 100 run of stones and that they shipped the wheat in from the U.S.A. I believe that he told me that this mill was also run by Hortops.