I am going to take the opportunity to answer some of the questions I have received from you, the readers.
I have mentioned several of the earliest industries in Newmarket in my earlier columns, which are available at newmarkettoday.ca/remember-this. In today’s column, we shall examine early mills, foundries, cabinet manufacturers and the Canadian Family Sewing Machine Company.
Our first settlers dammed the Holland River, creating the mill pond we now affectionately call Fairy Lake. While I realize the Holland River is now but a mere stream passing through the community, the river was once both wide and fast moving, ideal for harnessing its power for industrial purposes.
At one time, there were 12 mills along the river from Mulock to Green Lane, but for this column, we shall look at a few of the larger ones.
We will begin with Eli Gorham’s wool and fulling mill, remnants of which we can still see today. Its first location was as part of Joseph Hill’s grist mill at the foot of Main Street in 1808. You will recall it was Hill who had taken the initiative to dam the river at Water Street, hence creating the Mill Pond.
This mill of Gorham used two carding machines he brought from the United States. He remained there until 1813, when he established his own works along the Bogarttown Creek at its junction to what is now Gorham Street. In 1836, a permanent home was constructed on the south side of Gorham Street, where a three-storey mill was soon constructed. This mill seemed to have served the needs of the young community perfectly, producing custom carding and weaving.
Until 1859, the mill, along with Hill’s mill, was run by W.A. Clark, but he left Newmarket that year to establish a mill on the Beaver River near Collingwood. Gorham’s son, Nelson, took over the management of the mill and added more machinery.
The 1861 census indicates it employed six people (four men and two women). The pay was $100 per month for the men and $32 per month for the women. (Some things never change.) It was indicated the mill annually produced 15,500 pounds of wooden yarn worth about $1,130 and 8,750 yards of cloth and flannels valued at $4,500. Because the mill was entirely water powered, it was a seasonal operation.
The second, large mill I want to look at is the Sutherland Flour Mill. In 1840, Donald Sutherland immigrated to Newmarket and, in 1848, he leased Hill’s old mill (the Cotter Mill) for three years. In 1854, he purchased the Mill Pond (Fairy Lake) and river flats from Clark, erecting a new mill at Timothy Street on the east side of the river. A new raceway had been constructed from the eastern side of Fairy Lake, under Water Street to this new mill and then farther north to Mill (Queen) Street, where it rejoined the Holland River.
This new mill was the largest in the area, capable of processing 100,000 bushels of spring and fall wheat per year, producing 22,000 barrels of finished wheat valued at approximately $110,000. Sutherland’s operation employed six mill hands. You may remember that Sutherland served as our first reeve from 1858, when we were initially incorporated as a village, to 1859.
In 1854, George Lount constructed Newmarket’s first grist mill and sawmill on Lot 13 of Huron Street (Davis Drive), close to the new railway station. He sold this mill to Dr. Orrin Ford, who ran a sanatorium on Main Street at the Royal Hotel. In January 1856, the mill was destroyed by fire. By July 1857, a new, improved mill was in operation on the site. This new mill was financed by the selling of shares in the community.
This second mill was then sold by Ford to Eugene Nash, but Ford remained as its general agent. This mill was powered by a 40-horsepower steam engine with a four-run of stone. It could grind 20,000 bushels of wheat yearly, producing 4,000 bushels of flour with an estimated value of $20,000. In addition, the attached sawmill produced 170,000 board feet of lumber estimated at $1,400 and employed five workers.
The second industry I wish to highlight is that of the foundry. A foundry is like a metal works plant in that it manufactures items like wagons, sleighs, farm implements, cookware and the like. It contains items such as lathes and boring equipment in part of the plant, along with a smelting area to produce the actual metal, and an attached blacksmith shop.
The most prominent local foundry was Samuel Sykes Foundry, established in 1858. Sykes had worked in England and Philadelphia in the railway industry, designing, building and repairing the equipment before he settled in Newmarket.
His foundry was located on the north side of Huron, just to the east of the Holland River. He began constructing steam engines like the one at the Ford mill and did custom mill work. The foundry used about 40 tons of pig and bar iron a year valued at about $1,000, producing one steam engine valued at $6,000. The mill had one large lathe and three smaller ones that were powered by a six-horsepower steam engine. He employed eight people.
You can still see his house on the southeast corner of Ontario and Main streets, which I believe is now a spa.
Another foundry of note was the Allan Implement Works, Newmarket’s first foundry. It was built by Absalon Blacker in the 1840s on the south side of Timothy. He was later bought out by James Allan, one of his hands. Allan specialized in the manufacture of stoves, plows and cultivators on a small scale. The 1861 census indicates he used 24 tons of metal worth about $575 to produce castings worth $2,600 and he employed three men.
Next, we have the story of Joseph Millard’s Steam Cabinet Factory. Joseph Millard was the grandson of Timothy Millard, one of our first settlers. Joseph Millard had learned his trade from Enos Shipman, who ran a cabinet shop near the post office in the 1840s. Millard set up shop on the east side of Main Street between Botsford and Timothy streets.
By 1856, he had acquired a six-horsepower steam engine, providing the power for a planning machine and three lathes. A profitable sideline for early cabinet makers was often undertaken. This shop was destroyed by fire in late 1862. It is reported Millard used 75,000 feet of hard and soft wood worth about $800 to produce furniture worth about $4,000. Millard employed five men as part of his operation.
Our second cabinet maker was Samuel Roadhouse, who arrived in Newmarket in 1841 and apprenticed with John Botsford upon his arrival. With the passing of Botsford, Roadhouse acquired the business and continued to operate it at the same location until 1853, when he built a house and a factory on the northeast corner of Main and Queen streets.
At this time, the Roadhouse operation was the second-largest cabinet works in Newmarket. He used horses to power his three lathes and other machinery. His operation turned 20,000 feet of wood worth about $600 into general wood products worth $2,600 while employing four men.
The smallest of the cabinet makers in town was J&H Warner and was owned by John Warner, who had purchased the Botsford Cabinet site from Roadhouse when he relocated. This operation was solely run by horsepower and featured only one lathe. His output is listed as 10,000 feet of lumber worth about $250, producing furniture valued at $1,200. He employed two men.
We will finish the column with a profile of an industry few people know even existed. The Canadian Family Sewing Machine Company was in production in 1861, a subsidiary of P.L. Butler and Company. It apparently built highly regarded sewing machines. The Newmarket Era in 1859 celebrated the precision and craftsmanship of the company’s products. It apparently offered both industrial and home-based machines as the Era recommended it to both local businesses and the townsfolk.
The particulars of the operation are laid out as being a factory consisting of two lathes powered by a six-horsepower steam engine and boasting two employees. It was located across from the Roadhouse cabinet factory on the southeast corner of Main and Queen streets, where Luesby Memorials is now located. The specs on the operation are quite interesting. The factory is said to have cost $3,500 to set up, and it used $1,000 worth of castings to produce 200 sewing machines at a value of $4,200.
I thought a summary of some of the industries not yet covered in my previous columns may prove of interest. I chose this period as it represents the time leading up to the incorporation of Newmarket as a village in 1858 and the period just after. The businesses mentioned represent a sample of the successful enterprises that abounded in our area. I have included the costs and revenues involved to give you a sense of the profitability of the enterprise.
Sources: 1857-1957 Newmarket, Ontario by John Luck; History of the Town of Newmarket by Ethel Willson Trewhella; The Newmarket Era; Historical Atlas of York County; illustrations by George Luesby; The Early Development of Three Upper Canada Towns: Barrie, Holland Landing and Newmarket by W. Randy Smith; Elite and Society: Newmarket 1857-1880 by George de Zwaan (Newmarket library); excerpts from the 1861 census in York County
Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town’s history in partnership with NewmarketToday, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.
