The survival of the Martintown Grist Mill in Martintown, Ontario, is due to sheer dogged persistence by a series of dedicated history buffs over several decades.
Alexander McMartin built the stone mill on the Raisin River in 1846 to replace an earlier wooden mill built by his father, United Empire Loyalist Malcolm McMartin. It was a cornerstone of the village’s economy for a century, grinding wheat, oats, buckwheat, corn and malt. Sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s (depending which account you read), it ceased operations and was abandoned.
By the early 1980s, the mill had come into the possession of the Raisin River Conservation Authority (RRCA), which did some emergency repairs to the building. However, by 1985, the RRCA and the Township of Charlottenburgh decided the structure was beyond repair and planned to demolish it.
A determined group of citizens was having none of it. In 1986, they formed the Friends of the Martintown Mill, now known as the Martintown Mill Preservation Society Corp., to save the building. They raised money to stabilize and restore it, but by 1995, the mill was again under threat. Facing budget constraints, the RRCA once again started talking about tearing the building down.
Undaunted, the preservation society bought the mill in 1997. Via fundraising and grants, they did further repairs and maintenance work to the building.
After all that work, the least we could do is drop by the mill if we’re in the neighbourhood, right?
If you go to the Martintown Grist Mill
Inside the Martintown Grist Mill, you’ll find a small museum of local artifacts. Currently, the mill/museum is open to visitors on summer Sundays, as well as a couple of other days—during the Raisin River Canoe Race in April and the Strawberry Festival in June, for example. You can also visit by appointment.
The mill is at 18544 Dundas Street in Martintown. It’s located 97km southeast of Parliament Hill.
Across County Road 20 from the Martintown Grist Mill, you’ll find Dish Wish, a small catering company that also sells frozen meals and local products, such as honey.
Looking for something else to see and do near the Martintown Grist Mill? Here are a few options.
- St. Raphael’s Ruins National Historic Site, Williamstown
- Priest’s Mill Arts Centre, Alexandria
- Cooper Marsh Conservation Area, South Lancaster
You can also check the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry’s tourism website.
Looking for more tips on things to see and do in and around Ottawa? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.
As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.