Back from the edge
Leard’s Mill restoration committee pleased with progress; open house planned
Hidden within the chutes, hoppers and elevators of the Leard’s Mill grist mill in Coleman are more than a mile of belts. Jason Greenan has that on good authority; he got that tidbit of information from the mill’s last miller, Warren Leard. The metric system, which Canada adopted long after the 130-year-old mill was built, would suggest more than 1.6 kilometers of belts.
Of the 118 grist mills that dotted Prince Edward Island’s farming landscape at the start of the 20th century, Leard’s Mill was the only one still operational at the dawn of the 21st century.
Since the mill last operated, about 15 years ago, the building’s base started to give way, a side wall ruptured, and it looked like the three-story structure might soon collapse.
Leard’s Mill Restoration committee member Justin Rogers recalls meeting Leard at the mill. “It was two years last summer and he said, ‘I’m afraid she’s too far gone.’”
Last year a delicate project was undertaken to raise the building and subsequently set it back down on new concrete piers.
The lower level floor and a side wall were replaced.
Then a big rain event came in January and water rushed all around the stabilized mill. It held fast.
Fellow committee member Susan Dalton estimates the building has gained another century.
“It was right to the wire,” Rogers said, describing how close the mill was to becoming a disaster from an environmental and historical preservation perspectives.
“If it hadn’t gotten done last year…I don’t know.”
A steel roof was installed last winter.
Over the summer, Greenan headed up a Skills P.E.I. project with four trainees who reshingled the building, fixed up windows and doors, installed a new ramp to the main entrance, cleaned the building from top to bottom and reassembled equipment that had been taken apart during stabilization.
As the project was winding down, Leard paid the crew a visit. “As he walked through the doors, he started to tear up; he couldn’t believe it came back to the way it was,” explained Greenan, who admitted that was a very rewarding experience to witness.
“He just stood there at the door and his smile was ear-toear.”
Leard, who is honourary chairman of the restoration committee, and another committee member, Carter Jeffery, are working on a vignette describing the workings of the mill. “Here we are, two years from when it was pretty well gone beyond, to stabilized and, with Jason’s crew now, it’s been preserved and restored to pretty well the way it was when Warren left here 14, 15 years ago,” Rogers reflected.
“It’s quite a success story.” The restoration work has gained so much interest and support that the committee is hosting an open house on Sunday, Oct. 14, from 1 to 4 p.m.
It’s not a grand opening, Dalton cautions, just a sneak peak to show how the mill has been preserved.
It’s also an opportunity to reflect on where the committee goes to from here. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Rogers said the committee hopes to offer guided tours of the mill next year.
A walkway connection from the Confederation Trail to the mill is also being considered, Dalton revealed.