The Mickle-Dyment Sawmill was located on the south side of the Severn River until it was demolished in 1936.
According to an article in orilliamatters.com Postcard Memories series, the sawmill, which once stood on the west side of Highway 11, south of the Severn River bridge, has a history dating back to 1873, when the first railway reached the community.
In his book Mills and Mill Villages of Severn Township, James T. Angus tells us that a small sawmill was purchased by W.P. Christie in 1878, and shortly after, the owner expanded the lumber operations.
W.P. Christie & Co. prospered through the 1880s, and in 1892 the mill was sold to Mickle-Dyment & Son of Gravenhurst.
Logs were floated down the Black and Severn rivers directly to the mill. The lumber was shipped on the Grand Trunk Railway to lumber yards in the south.
Mickle-Dyment tore down the old Christie mill and replaced it with a new building, and with new equipment installed, the mill reported a record production. In June 1895, in a 10-hour period, the mill produced 91,500 board feet of lumber, 17,500 shingles and 30,000 laths.
The mill closed down in 1931 and was dismantled in 1936. Two demolition experts were brought in to demolish the burner. Severn Bridge school children received a half-day holiday to witness the end of the village’s main industry.
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