Ball’s Mill began as a carding mill and sawmill in 1842. It was owned and operated for three generations of the Ball family until it was purchased by the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. In 1988 Paul Rapati bought the mill, saving it from being torn down due to a lack of funding for restoration projects.
He is currently working on restoring the mill and maintains it as a place of community pride and connection to heritage.
By the idea of a mill we in holland automatic looks for the wings of a mill. Here it must be something else but a beautiful building it is. Hope it could be restored as it was in earlier days.
ReplyDeleteWater was the source of power for this mill. The river is hidden on the right hand side of the roadway. Normally a dam would be built on the river forcing the water into a channel or pipe known as a flume. The force of the water's movement drives the blades of a wheel, which in turn rotates an axle that drives the mill's machinery.
DeleteGreat history there! That's a fantastic old building!
ReplyDeleteI hope his effort succeeds, I like seeing heritage buildings being used rather than simply destroyed (it happens all too often here, inc. in the stateside version of Baltimore).
ReplyDeleteIt is tough when a single individual tries to renovate a historic structure after the state decides that it can't afford to do it. Good luck. Preserving the past is important so future generations of kids can learn from the past.
ReplyDeleteI think that is just fantastic. I hope he is successful, sometimes those old buildings cost too much to restore.
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