A historic sawmill near Lang, Ont. offers woodworking demonstrations to teach the public how logs were sawed into lumber by pioneers of the past — and it’s all water-powered from the Indian River.
“There’s five components they were telling us is run by water,” said visitor Steve Drinkwalter. “The saw blade, the track, how the wood is pulled in from the water. Everything is done with electricity and the convenience, but this is the old way, this is the real way as far as I’m concerned.”
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The original Hope Mill operated for 130 years by a family-run ownership. It was later sold to the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority in 1966 where it underwent significant renovations. However, funding cuts forced the closure of the sawmill in 1993.
In 2001, the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA), the Otonabee Region Conservation Foundation (ORCF), and the Hope Mill Restoration Volunteers (HMRV) spent their days bringing the machinery back to life. Longstanding volunteer Robert Rehder, was one of the volunteers who pushed for it to reopen.
“My vote was to fix it and there was enough votes and we went ahead with the decision to keep it. It didn’t take us long to have people that were interested to come and volunteer,” said 88-year-old Rehder.
On Sunday, June 3, 2006 the Hope Mill was officially reopened as a heritage demonstration. The Hope Mill continues to operate with the help of 12 volunteers.
Products produced at the mill include items such as cutting boards, rolling pins, bird houses etc. Funding for the mill comes from selling these items together with donations.
The demonstrations at the Hope Mill are offered every Tuesday and one Sunday a month, during the summer. Kids can also get a chance to build their own bird house during the visits and make a donation to keep their bird house.
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