Rideau Lakes Township town crier David Boyd brings greetings from the township and a special message from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the wife of Prince Charles on Saturday during the Bicentennial Celebrations at the Old Stone Mill in Delta.

Delta

Dignitaries from all levels of government including, MP Gord Brown, MPP Steven Clark, and Rideau Lakes Township Mayor Ron Holman spoke about the building’s importance to the community at the special ribbon cutting ceremony held in front of the National Historic Site Saturday afternoon.

“The Old Stone Mill in Delta showcases our industrial heritage and architecture," said Leeds-Grenville MPP Steve Clark.
"I congratulate the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting our bicentennial celebrations."

The Old Stone Mill was built in 1810 by William Jones. In 1963 the last mill owner, Hastings Steele deeded the building to a group a trustees with the hope that it would be preserved and turned into a museum. Descendants of both William Jones and Hastings Steele attended the ceremony at the mill. The last surviving original trustee of the mill, Elizabeth Robinson was also on hand for the celebration.

The ceremony served as the official launch of recently installed 200 year-old milling equipment as well as a new exhibition about the Beverley Lake community. Retired miller, Roland Tetrault demonstrated the milling process with turning millstones to a captivated audience.

“It has been over a hundred years since millstones have turned in this mill, we are thrilled to be able to do this once again, and provide visitors with the sights and sounds of a working gristmill,” said curator Paul George, “it has certainly been a nail-biting process, but the stones are in place and turning!” George added that other machinery should be up and running later this season.

In addition to the ceremony, a number of events were held throughout the community on Saturday, including the First Annual Frontenac Arch Biosphere Craft Show, the Delta Horticultural Society Flower Show, Rideau Roundtable Voyageur Canoe Rides, re-enactments by the Brockville Infantry Company, shows by the Canadian Raptor Conservancy, stories by Bear the Tinker, West Winds Ranch pony rides and petting zoo, and a pancake breakfast by the Delta Agricultural Society. A dinner-theatre production which celebrated the mill’s history, took place Saturday night to a sold-out audience of nearly 200. The anniversary celebration wraps up on Sunday with a historical multi-denomination service and antique appraisals by Charles Marion of Mainly Antiques.

The Old Stone Mill National Historic Site’s 200th Anniversary Celebration has been made possible through generous community donations and support from Parks Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Heritage Canada.

The Delta Mill Society is a non-profit, charitable organization that owns and operates the Old Stone Mill National Historic Site. The Old Stone Mill National Historic Site was built in 1810 by William Jones, replacing an earlier mill built by Delta’s founder, Abel Stevens. The mill has been described as the “best building of its kind” and was declared a National Historic Site in 1973 for its’ magnificent Georgian architecture applied to an industrial building and its’ early use of the automatic milling system.