An Old Mill in Winter
Old Mills
The river we have our summer cottage on is at the exit of a lake that tumbles down a set of rapids and then rushes through a set of stone walls that used to be the old Durkee Mill in Deerfield, NS. When I was a kid we were forbidden from entering the Mill, as it was tumbling down even at that time, and now all that remains are the stone walls.
In Bangor, NS, in Digby County just up the road from us, is an old mill, which is now a museum. I love visiting it in the summer, but the other day I drove by and being winter the ice and the flowing water caught my eye. A very interesting formation of ice, water and machinery.
There aren’t many old mills left now, but the few standing need to be preserved so we can see into a time past. It used to be that almost every community had either a saw mill or grist mill powered by running water, and we need to see these wonderful structures for what they are – a glimpse into by-gone days.
It’s also interesting to reflect on the fact that these mills were actually pretty environmentally friendly, being run by water and not completely damming up the entire flow so fish could go through easily. Maybe our ancestors ideas should be examined more closely!
