Although not born in Milton, I certainly was raised there. I love the downtown, quiet, simple, and filled with the buildings from the late 19th century early 20th. Small businesses that seem to hold on. The first post office, my home church, barber, my favourite drinking hole in town, and more. It was a nice quiet evening that I had a chance to shoot the downtown along with the Milton Camera club.
It’s funny, Toronto has the hustle and bussle, but it’s downtown Hamilton that I like more. Probably, as my friend Kathy pointed out on Flickr, it’s because despite it’s size, Hamilton’s downtown feels more like a small town than Toronto does. Sure there’s a handful of skyscrapers, Stelco Tower for example, but there’s not a canyon like you find along Bay Street in TO. Hamilton still maintains many of it’s historic buildings (well most of them…if you see a random parking lot, good chance that used to be a historic building). Despite the many years of decline the downtown is starting to come back it still has a way to go, but with more time, and continued support from the local government and businesses Hamilton will once again be the city it once was.
Note to Self: When wanting to reuse fixer, mix a stronger dilution.
Oops. Yeah, I fixed this roll of film in exhausted fixer so lets say that the results were well interesting, but with a bit of work in Photoshop I was able to recover some images, but the contrast just wasn’t there that I’m used to in Tri-X. But I had to post them anyways. Today we visit the small village of Ancaster located in the shadow of the Niagara Escarpment. I took a break from the family Easter dinner to wander the historic downtown. The main draw for me was the historic mill, now an upscale restaurant, was used to house prisoners during the Bloody Assizes of 1814 during the later end of the War of 1812, also two fantastic waterfalls.
The battle of Bakus Mills was the battle that never happened. By 1814 American raiding parties roamed unopposed through the western stretches of Upper Canada (now Ontario). On the Niagara frontier the war had been fought to a stalemate and the balance of power depended on the supply lines that provided much needed food for the British Army. American forces attempted to disrupt these supply lines by sending raiding parties across Lake Erie and through Detroit.
The JC Backhouse Mill, yes, this is the original one built in 1798.
The J.C. Backhouse mill was constructed in 1798, and being a grist mill made it a target for these raids, as it was a major supplier of flour for the British Army. But for one reason or another it was never targeted. There are several stories surrounding why the mill was never targeted, while many others in the general area were destroyed. Backhouse was a major in the Norfolk militia, it was said that he had members of the militia light more bonfires than actual troops around the mill to trick the Americans into believing that there were more troops stationed there than there actually were. Another theory is that that many of the American officers were masons, deliberately avoided Backhouse’s property out of respect for a fellow mason. However the more likely theory is that the American’s never were able to find the mill in the first place.
Prospect Hill, the home of the Backhouse Family
Even though the mill survived the war, there were several skirmishes around the area that saw the local economy and private property destroyed. The local militia were outmanned and out gunned by the highly trained and well equipped American regular troops and volunteers that made up the raiding parties. The British had not been able to field an army in the west since their defeat at the Battle of the Thames, leaving the militia to fend for themselves.
A Log cabin, the Headquarters for the local Militia
The Backhouse Mill continued to operate until 1955 as a commercial flour producer. Today it still produces flour in the traditional method, being the oldest mill still in operation in Canada today. It’s the central building in the Bakus Heritage Village. Each September the village hosts reenactors, despite no battles actually being fought on the site.
Written with files from:
Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812 Second Edition by Gilbert Collins – 2006 The Dundurn Group Publishers
lprca.on.ca/backus/1812/
Photos:
Nikon FM2 – AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 – Kodak Tmax 100 (100TMX)
Rodinal 1+50 12:00 @ 20C
It’s always great to go back to a location you used to explore and see it legally…and in daylight. The Don Valley Brickworks was a staple of Toronto Urban Exploration for many years before Evergreen began it’s award winning transformation of the place. Someone had left the gate to the old kiln building open which gave me a chance to show friends Chris and Tim one of my old UrbEx playgrounds. It was great to see that the kilns and other small reminders of the place had been left.
The Don Valley Brickworks was established in 1889 and operated for almost 100 years before finally shutting down. The Taylor brothers who purchased the land in the 1830s had originally wanted to establish a paper mill, however upon finding good quality clay while digging a fence post hole, and checking with a local brickworks realized they could make a high quality brick. The Don Valley Pressed Brick Co. opened in 1889, a quarry and plant was soon established on the property. Their bricks won prizes at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and the Toronto Industrial Fair in 1894. After a fire destroyed much of Toronto’s downtown in 1904, Don Valley provided most of the bricks for the reconstruction. By 1907 the company was producing between 85,000 to 100,000 bricks per day. In 1909 the Taylor brothers sold their company to Robert Davies who renamed the company the Don Valley Brickworks, and built the iconic four chimneys that spell out the name, only one of these are still standing today. The 1920s saw major expansion with the addition of electricity to the plant and a sand-lime plant added that allowed for the making of a less expensive brick for interior construction. The Brickworks were sold to an investment firm in 1928, changing the name of the company to Toronto Brick Company. By this point production peeked, the company outputting 25 million bricks per day. Production continued on through the second world war, and increased again as the building boom after the war increased the demand. A fire in 1946 destroyed the sand-lime plant, and three of the four chimneys were knocked down, various buildings were demolished to re-organize and consolidate the plant. In 1956 the site was sold to United Ceramics Ltd of Germany who continued to operate the site, building a new sand-lime plant, and an antique brick company moved to the site as well. But by the 1980s the raw material had been quarried, and after 100 years of service shut down. The site was acquired by Torvalley Associates and managed to get the site rezoned to residential for possible housing developments which never materialized. The site was expropriated in 1987 by the Toronto and Region Conservation authority who began to revitalize the area. Brampton Brick purchased the remaining equipment and operated a retail outlet on the site until 1991. By 1994 the quarries began to be filled in with clean fill from the Scotia Plaza tower excavation, and landscaped. A series of ponds, and trees soon were planted and trails created a unique urban park. The buildings however remained abandoned. Evergreen acquired the property in 1997 and in the early 21st century began to turn the abandoned complex into cultural centre focusing on the environment. Creating a unique area where people can enjoy the natural landscape of the ongoing restoration of the Don Valley Watershed, and learn about the environment and green ideas and technology. The complex was reopened in 2010.
I do need to go back here this summer to fully explore the entire site now that I can.
Nikon FM2 – AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.4 – Kodak Tri-X 400 (400TX)
Kodak HC-110 Dil. B 4:30 @ 20C
Located on a natural harbor on the shores of Lake Erie, the small town of Port Dover is known more for its famous Friday the Thirteenth motorcycle event than its involvement in the War of 1812. In the early 19th century the town was one of the key ports to the British control, the others at Turkey Port (Fort Norfolk), Port Ryerse, and Long Point provided shelter for the Royal Navy and the Provincial Marine. Using these ports the British maintained complete control over Lake Erie for the first half of the war, blockading the Americans, at least until an American Squadron under Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British fleet on Lake Erie in 1813.
Downtown Port Dover as it appears today.
However Port Dover’s involvement in the War of 1812 started early on in the conflict when it served as the embarkation point for General Brock’s successful siege and capture of Fort Detroit. Brock along with members of the 41st Regiment of Foot arrived on August 2nd, 1812, linking up with elements from the York, Oxford, Lincoln, and Norfolk Militia, a 300 man strong force to reinforce the 41st Regiment at Fort Amhurstburg under attack from General Hull and the Americans. However water transport for only 100 men could be secured, Brock took the first 100 while the remainder marched overland. Brock’s campaign not only secured Fort Detroit, but also the now famous alliance with Shawnee Chief Tecumseh.
Brock’s cairn.
However by 1814, the western areas of Upper Canada had been vacated by most British Regular forces after their defeat at the Battle of the Thames, allowing American forces to raid along the coast destroying, for the most part Mills and supply lines feeding the British army now concentrated on the Niagara frontier. On May 14th, 1814 Lieutenant Colonel John Campbell landed with 800 US Regulars and a group of volunteers from the Pennsylvania Militia, and a group of artillery at Patterson Creek. After a minor skirmish with local militia the force marched on Port Dover on May 15th, unopposed they proceeded to take any supplies they could get their hands on before setting the entire town, including private residences on fire, after allowing the families to remove small objects from the homes, an empty gesture. After reducing Port Dover to ashes, Campbell’s force moved on to Port Ryerse, repeating what they had done to Port Dover. Over all Campbell’s forces destroyed twenty homes, six mills, three distilleries, and various other buildings. A local citizen overheard that this was in retaliation for British attacks on Havre Du Grace, Maryland, and Buffalo. The officers under Campbell were outraged with Campbell’s actions as where his superiors and he was brought before a court martial. The court censured Campbell for his wanton destruction of private property, disavowing it completely.
Port Dover’s freshly restored 18-pound carronade.
A letter sent to General Riall explaining this did little to prevent the massive assault against the American east coast later in August of 1814, resulting in the occupation of Maine, and the destruction of government property in Washington DC. Campbell died of wounds received during the Battle of Lundy’s Lane.
Port Dover’s harbor today.
Very little remains from the War of 1812 in Port Dover, a plaque outside of town speaks on Campbell’s destructive raids, and a cairn in a downtown park talks on Brock’s embarkation. A restored carronade and an information plaque stands in the same park explaining the town’s involvement in the war. Port Dover remains an active harbor on Lake Erie, but instead of military vessels it mostly focuses on a fishing fleet and pleasure craft.
Written with files from:
Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812 Second Edition by Gilbert Collins – 2006 The Dundurn Group Publishers
Web: www.ontarioplaques.com/Plaques_MNO/Plaque_Norfolk02.html
Photos:
Nikon FM2 – AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 – Kodak Tmax 100 (100TMX)
Rodinal 1+50 12:00 @ 20C
Another “No Theme” week as the battery in my Nikon F3, which I put into it when I first got the camera a good four-five years ago now finally gave up the ghost and I’ve been having trouble getting a replacement. So I grabbed the next best camera that I could, my all mechanical Nikon FM2. Oddly enough the FM2 was the original choice for the project and from here on in will the camera of choice for the rest of the project (mostly because it only uses the battery for the meter, unlike the F3 which needs power to even release the shutter). The lens will remain the same 50mm f/1.4 Nikon glass.
A rather odd collection of photos for this week as I just carried the camera with me around work, and driving to and from.
By the end of 1814 forces on the Niagara Frontier had fought themselves to a standstill. Realizing that the British relied on their supply lines in the western area of Upper Canada the American Army arranged for a series of raids aimed to disrupt the supply lines.
Even after the destruction of their livelihood, the Malcolm family continued to live in the area well into the mid-19th century.
A column of 750 mounted volunteers from Ohio and Kentucky crossed into Upper Canada on October 26th, 1814 under the command of Brigadier General Duncan McArthur. McArthur’s column raided along the Thames River valley destroying crops, mills, and anything that could be used to supply the British army. The local militia got word of these raids and setup a plan to take on McArthur. Heavy rains had caused the Grand River to over flow it’s banks, so they sank all the boats and setup a defense at Malcolm’s Mills. McArthur hearing about a gathering of Militia, and finding no way to cross the Grand River turned his entire column south to disperse the locals.
The historic plaque marks the area near where the battle was fought.
The column clashed with the militia on November 6th, 1814. The column much better trained and equipped than the local members of the Oxford, Norfolk, and Middlesex militias along with native warriors, and quickly outflanked them killed 18 and wounding nine. The American’s suffered one killed and eight wounded. The remaining militia members were captured and paroled back to their homes, swearing that they would not fight in the war again. The following day American troops burned homes, the mills, barns, and anything they could find.
The neatly arranged headstones of the original settlers of the area, all of them United Empire Loyalists.
The Americans continued to raid further south towards Port Dover, but by November 17th, 1814 returned to Detroit, but were able to do serious damage to the local economy. Five mills were destroyed not to mention homes, barns, and crops. American troops proved to be civil to the local farmers issuing receipts for damaged properties. The Battle of Malcolm’s Mill stands as the last battle in the War of 1812 on Canadian soil. Today a plaque stands in the centre of the town of Oakland, where Malcolm’s Mills once stood. There’s no sign or marker where the mills once stood, but a Mill Street and Malcolm Street offer some clue to the town’s history.
A park now sits along the river, just off Mill Street. So I’m guessing the mills once stood there. The American’s did a good job, not even ruins are left.
Written with files from:
Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812 Second Edition by Gilbert Collins – 2006 The Dundurn Group Publishers
Web: www.discoverbrantford.com/war_of_1812/local_connection/Pages/MacarthursRaid.aspx
Photos:
Nikon FM2 – AI-S Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 – Kodak Tmax 100 (100TMX)
Rodinal 1+50 12:00 @ 20C
Winter…this year it does not seem to end for us in Southern Ontario, but it does make for great Sunday afternoon hikes at Rattlesnake Point. The point is formed by an off shoot of the Niagara Escarpment and provides fantastic views as with any conservation areas along the Escarpment. I spent a good two hours just tromping through the woods with my F3, many people giving me odd looks in the process. But in the end totally worth the wet pants and cold nose.
I need to go back in the summer with a Medium format camera and my 4×5.
Situated high above the rushing waters of the grand river sits the tiny town of Elora Ontario. And in all my time living in the area I’ve never actually visited the small town. But taking advantage of a cold bright Monday morning (we had a long weekend here) I drove the hour or so north to visit the town. I was inspired to visit here after seeing an entry in the recent contest for the Milton Camera club of an old mill on a river. I wanted to see this place for myself. I was plesently surprised I have to say.
The local residents who saw this strange young man all bundled up lugging around two cameras were friendly and engaged me in conversation as I wandered through their downtown. I need to go back in the summer when the folliage is out to check out the conversation area, and water sports going on in the rapids. So you may just see this place again!
