MILLVILLE, CODROY VALLEY - A historic wool carding mill, possibly the last remaining in the province, has received heritage designation as a Registered Heritage Structure by Heritage NL.
Located at a crossroads and along Granddaddy’s Brook, the Gale Carding Mill is a well-known landmark in the Codroy Valley. Constructed around 1940 to house the Gale family’s carding mill, this two-storey, wooden building employs utilitarian design elements and is constructed using locally milled lumber.
Millville was established in 1897 when Alexander Gale started a wool carding business (later known as A. Gale and Sons) near Granddaddy’s Brook, close to the site of the present-day mill building. Gale built a dam and a water wheel on Granddaddy’s Brook to power the British-made, industrial carding machines he purchased in Nova Scotia. 1,000 pounds of fleece were carded in the first year of operation.
An interview with Sir Edward Morris, following his visit to the Codroy Valley in 1908, reported that the carding mill was “run by a man and a little girl, and they turn out ten thousand pounds of wool annually.” By 1942 the existing mill was constructed and operated in conjunction with the original mill. While the original carding mill was powered by a water wheel, the new one was operated using a diesel generator. At top production, the Gales were producing about 500 pounds of carded wool per day up to a peak of 40,000 pounds annually.
“This is an exciting project that shows the link between our architectural history and the strong heritage of craft and craft development in Newfoundland and Labrador,” says Dale Jarvis, Heritage NL Executive Director. “
“We look forward to working with the Gale family to see that this mill, and the heritage skills associated with it, continue on into the future.”
Heritage NL was established in 1984 to stimulate an understanding of and an appreciation for the historic places and living heritage of the province.
Listing on Heritage NL's register of heritage buildings:
https://heritagenl.ca/heritage-property/gale-carding-mill-registered-heritage-structure
No comments:
Post a Comment