Whitevale Mill
Original Building: T.P. White's Woollen Mill
Whitevale Mills of the Past
Whitevale’s early success has been largely attributed to T.P. White and his construction of the many mills that once lined Duffin’s Creek. In 1855, Mr. White built the first of his mills; he erected a grist mill on the land across the road from the current mill. This grist mill was considered to be technically advanced for the times and cost $10,000. He followed in 1866 with a large planing mill. A year later, in 1867, Mr. White built a large brick woollen mill at a cost of $30,000 on the land that the current Whitevale mill occupies.
Although Mr. White built the mills, there were periods that he didn’t personally run them; instead he leased them and allowed others to operate them:
- Mr. Ellis ran the woollen mill for a number of years
- Spink brothers ran the flour mill from 1867 to 1874
- Besse brothers ran the sawmill
Whitevale Mills on Fire
Whitevale has been unlucky when it comes to fires and floods. All Mr. White’s mills eventually were destroyed by fire. In 1874, the planing mill was destroyed by fire. The woollen mill was also severely damaged by fire, but the brick walls remained standing. Finally, the flour mill which was then being operated by Mr. White was burned. The machinery from the flour mill was salvaged and used in the brick walls of the woollen mill. This however wasn’t the last time that Whitevale would experience a mill fire.
