Morley Gristmill History


Thomas Harison was the owner while Rufus Jackson was the first operator.  Farmers from east side of the river as far away as the St. Lawrence River brought their grain to this mill.  The grain was turned by a grinder into flour and animal feed.  The grain had to be unloaded and loaded onto small boats or rafts and taken across the river to the mill.   The Mill originally ran by water power, but after the dam broke it was converted to run by electricity by Earl McFadden, the last operator.  The mill was very busy from early fall to late spring.  A few of the early operators are Sam Baxter, Patsy Fox, Mark and Frank Whitney, and Sam and Gilbert Myres.

Some of the later operators were Jerome Bartholomew, William Newby and Earl McFadden.  Fred Burdick was the first stone dresser and later J. Bartholomew was the second The Morley Gristmill was built around 1840 in the Grasse River on an island. .  Iron work on the mill was done by Dr. Daniel McKensie.

Canton During Depression

Gas stations let people pay them back later which never would happen and  therefore they were the first to get hurt by the depression

Closed Pyrites mill.  360-400 men became unemployed. Many lost their homes.

Milk was five cents a quart and bread was five cents a pound

Unemployed men used to stand in front of Infintines (store) and if people needed someone to work for them they would go there.  It was average pay of two cents a day if choosen to work.

Some men made money illegally by jacking deer, killing them out of season.  Also by selling moonshine whiskey which was prohibited.

Canton was heavily visited by Hobos.

Many of the young children worked.  Philip McMaster was seven when he started selling magazines.

Other Stone Buildings:
-The Chapel on Saint Lawrence University is made out of the same stone.
-The stone Church in Morley was done by Mr. Harison and the stone Schoolhouse there was done by him too
 
 

Katie Griffith, Korin DeAcetis
EDU 203
St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY

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