A word-of-mouth history of the Woodham sawmill in Perth County

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Did you know there used to be a sawmill in Woodham? The photograph from Stratford-Perth Archives accompanying this column shows some of the mill workers. They are: (back row, from left) Billie Wynn, Joe Rinn, Creighton Wynn, Sidney Mills, Alonzo Mills, (front row, from left) Mary Mills and Lula Mills.

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The sawmill was located at 69923 Perth Line 164 on the border of Usborne Township in Huron County and Blanchard Township in Perth County. Not much is known about the sawmill, but from what we can gather, it had a large impact on the people and towns that surrounded it. Most of the information in this article comes to us from the book Village Connections: The Settlement and History of Kirkton and Woodham, as well as articles from the local Exeter newspapers. These may be word-of-mouth stories, which may not always be accurate, but they may provide important clues about the history of the mill nonetheless.

In 1874, it was noted that John W. Abray and Robert Edwards, both of Usborne Township, were operating a sawmill and a pumphouse in the village of Woodham, Perth County. It is unclear exactly where the mill was located or when it started operation but, by 1882, Abray and Edwards were only operating the sawmill. Abray passed away in 1893, and it is unclear if the mill was still there at the time of his death.

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Robert Edwards lived and owned land on Lot 13 South East Boundary in Usborne Township, Huron County. Edwards was born in 1847 in England. He came to Canada in 1852 and settled in Ontario, where he met and married Lucy Ann Abray.

In 1896, Alonzo Mills purchased one-quarter of an acre on Lot 13 from Jonathan Shier. Mills was born in Huron County in 1869 to William Mills and Eliza Nixon. He grew up in Blanshard Township and, in 1893, married Mary Elizabeth Stephens. The pair settled in Woodham on Lot 13.

Together, Edwards and Mills set up a sawmill on their shared Lot 13 in Woodham. In October 1902, Edwards passed away at the age of 56. His wife, Lucy, sold her share of the property and the house to Wilbur Wynn. Wilbur’s brother, William Wynn, and Sidney Mills, a brother of Alonzo assisted in the sawmill operations. William was born in 1877 in Usborne Township to Henry Wynn and Mary Ann Mills. Wilbur and his siblings grew up in Blanshard Township and they eventually moved to Woodham.

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Most early sawmills were built near running water sources, such as rivers and creeks, so they could harness the water power to operate the mill. This was not the case for the Woodham sawmill. They had to dig a 75-foot well in order to obtain water to run the steam engine and the boiler. The well was later extended another 75 feet deep.

The sawmill played a key role in the development of the community’s industry. A sawmill in the area meant that people could build better homes; this included weather resistant sidling, smooth wooden floors, more windows, or even the addition of a second floor. Wood, such as basswood, was taken from the woods to be sawed in the Woodham Mill, and then planed at lumber companies such as Ross and Taylor in Exeter. The wood from the mill was used in several local Woodham industries, such as carriage manufacturing, blacksmithing, carpentry and framing, wagon making, shingles, and pumps.

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In May 1907, the sawmill burnt to the ground after only three years of operation under the direction of Mills and Wynn. It was estimated that insurance on the building and its contents was $1,000. They did not let the fire stop them, and the mill was rebuilt. It finally ceased operation in 1948.

The Stratford-Perth Archives is open for in-person research from Tuesday to Saturday and welcomes donations to the collection. For details about what’s available during Reading Room drop-in hours and appointments for in-depth research, please visit www.stratfordpertharchives.on.ca, call us at 519-271-0531 ext. 259 or email [email protected]