Adam Prudhomme
Editor
An integral part of Odessa’s history is once again open to the public after a 30-year hiatus.
On Thursday Loyalist Township celebrated the official re-opening of the Babcock Mill, which will be open for tours Thursdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout July and August.
Built in 1856, the mill has operated as a sawmill, woolen mill and planting mill before seeing life as a site for truck bed and basket manufacturing.
Originally powered from a neighbouring stream that turned a waterwheel, the mill ceased its Better Baskets by Babcock operation in 1993. It was at that time that public tours of the building were halted as well, leaving the historic structure to sit vacant until 2023-though it remained a focal part of the community as Odessa’s welcome sign touted the village as home to the historic mill.
Now the main floor of the three-story building is open for guided tours, featuring a collection of 15 machines that were used in the basket making process. A pair of Loyalist Township summer students will be on hand to lead the tours, covering the unique history of the mill, dating back to 1803, when the land was deeded by the British Government to Joshua Booth. It wouldn’t be until 1856 that the mill was built, constructed by W. and H. Saul, two brothers who are said to have walked from Newburgh to Odessa to complete the job.
In 1907 the mill was sold to John Henry ‘Cap’ Babcock, before being sold to Loyalist Township in 1977.
Among the guests on hand to celebrate Thursday’s grand re-opening was Donald Babcock-grandson of Cap.
“The mill was going to be for grinding grain and stuff like that, but because the grand trunk line came here in 1856, they decided they just wouldn’t put the equipment in,” recalled Donald. “When my grandfather bought this mill in 1907, it was just an empty building. There was nothing in it. The saw mill was over there, it had a waterwheel that powered the saw mill so at the time my grandfather just put another pulley off that and brought the lines back down so actually the lines that runs the mill was actually in the basement.”
Donald was born in 1942 and just 12 years later he was working in the mill helping to manufacture wooden baskets. A few years after the township bought the building, they approached Donald about constructing a weave machine to display for the public.
“The last time I seen a weave machine I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, around 1954,” said Donald. “So I had to make those from memory.”
Fortunately he had a great recollection and he was able to complete the task and two of the weave machines are now among those on display and are featured on the tour.
For now only the main floor is open to the public, though plans are underway to have the basement and upstairs open in the coming summers.
The mill is located on Bridge Street in Odessa. For more information on the museums and historical sites located in Loyalist, visit www.Loyalist.ca/historicalsites.