Once upon a time this valley echoed with the sounds of hammers and waterwheels. Here at Todmorden Mills we stand on a site rich with Toronto’s early industrial history. This wasn’t always a museum. It was once a bustling industrial community.
Let’s step back to 1793. Lieutenant Governor Simcoe granted land to Aaron and Isaiah Skinner. He wanted them to build a sawmill. Lumber was desperately needed in the growing Town of York. The Skinners built that mill along the Don River. By 1795 they had added a gristmill.
The Don River was different then. It teemed with life and wild salmon swam in its waters. The unpolluted ecosystem supported the mills’ success.
In 1821 the Skinners sold part of their land. The Helliwell family arrived from England. They renamed the area Todmorden. This name was after their hometown in West Yorkshire.
The Helliwells established a brewery and another mill. This mill produced paper and wheat. Their paper mill was the first of its kind in Upper Canada. It used a mechanized system. This allowed for greater production. The mill produced paper for Canada’s earliest publications. William Lyon Mackenzie’s Colonial Advocate was one of them.
Thomas Helliwell kept a diary. It detailed the highs and lows of early settler life. He wrote about difficult roads and beer runs to York. The Helliwell House still stands. It is a rare example of adobe brick construction. These bricks were made from dried and compressed mud.
The Taylor family purchased the land in 1855. A devastating fire had destroyed much of the brewery. The Taylors established the Don Valley Paper Company. They built three mills on the river. Toronto was experiencing a paper boom. An increasingly literate population craved books and newspapers. The Taylors dominated the area for half a century. They built what is now the Evergreen Brick Works in 1889.
The Taylor’s went bankrupt in 1901. The land fell into misuse. The current museum opened in 1967. It commemorated Canada’s centennial. The Todmorden Mills site is a small collection of buildings. These buildings used to make up a larger community.
Today four buildings remain. They have maintained their original structures. There are two residences including the Helliwell House. There is also part of the Helliwell brewery. A paper mill was converted into a museum and theatre. A 9.2-hectare nature reserve surrounds the site.
The river was redirected during the construction of the Don Valley Parkway. Today Todmorden Mills stands as a reminder. It shows early Torontonian determination and industry. It also symbolizes the environmental damage of urban growth.
Take a walk through Todmorden Mills. Imagine the sounds of the past. Remember the people who shaped this land. Consider the impact of industry on our environment. Let’s learn from the past. Let’s build a more sustainable future.