In 1791, James Wilson, in partnership with Richard Beasley, built a sawmill and a grist mill on the site of this community. The mills were sold to John Baptiste Rousseaux (known as St. John) in 1794, and developed into a thriving pioneer enterprise. The settlement that grew around these mills became an important trading community, known by about 1800 as "Ancaster." In 1805, Samuel and Richard Halt, who had built the "Red Mill" nearby in 1799, acquired extensive holdings in the vicinity, part of which they subdivided. The combined settlement grew rapidly and became a centre for water-powered industries until the end of the nineteenth century.

Location

On the grounds of the township hall, 310 Wilson Street East, Ancaster

Themes

• Communities
• Industry and trade