Watson's Mill - History

History

Watson’s Mill was originally known as the "Long Island Flouring Mill", and was constructed by Thomas Langrell, an Ottawa contractor, for two prominent Ottawa businessmen: Moss Kent Dickinson and Joseph Merrill Currier. Dickinson was a successful forwarder and steamboat owner. He was nicknamed “King of the Rideau” because of his many freight and passenger steamers that traveled up and down the Canal. Dickinson was also mayor of Ottawa from 1864 and 1866, just prior to Confederation, and lived in what is now the South African Embassy. His partner, Joseph Currier, was a lumber baron, and a partner in the Victoria Foundry located in Ottawa, where all of the Mill machinery was cast. Watson’s Mill was originally one of four milling operations built during this time. A saw mill was completed in 1859, the gristmill in 1860, and a carding mill in 1861. The Canada Bung, Plug and Spile Factory was constructed in 1875, completing the Long Island Milling Enterprise, later to be known as the "Manotick Mills".

Dickinson intended to develop a village around the Long Island Mills complex. He bought 30 acres of land and sold it as building plots. The village was named "Manotick", an Ojibwe word meaning “Island in the River.”

Watson’s Mill remained in the Dickinson family until 1928 when Elizabeth, Moss Kent Dickinson’s youngest daughter, sold it to Alec Spratt. Spratt ran it for a short period until his death. His wife continued with the business until it was sold in 1946 to Harry Watson. With the introduction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, it became cheaper to import wheat and flour from the West than to grow and mill wheat in Ontario. Spratt and Watson gradually transformed the Mill into a feed and seed operation to keep up with the changing times and to accommodate the local dairy and livestock farmers.