DRUMMOND'S STEAM MILL, TOODYAY

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1886 - 1900

Subcollections

Overview

A black and white photo of large Flemish Bond brick and stone many windowed building.
Some windows are louvered and some paned.
The roof is of wood shingles. At an archway central to the building two people are standing or entering the building.

Historical information

James Drummond (c1787-1863), botanist and plant collector, was the first European settler in the Toodyay Valley after arriving in the colony as a part of Governor Stirling's official party. He selected Location U4 in 1836 and took up his grant in 1838.
James, his second son, settled on the property and built a cottage. In 1856 he built the steam powered mill and milling commenced in January 1857. In 1872, floods destroyed the miller's house at the mill and the mill was threatened.
In 1873 James Drummond Jnr. died from exhaustion and pneumonia after fighting a bushfire and his mill was bought by the Dempster Brothers.
Flour from the mills of both Charles Edward Dempster and Daniel Connor won awards at the Melbourne International Exhibition which ran from 1880 to 1881.
By 1886 the steam mill had been sold to George Throssell, The building was demolished in 1924.

Presumably this photo dates from after the 1880s when the mill was still operating and before (or around) ca1900 when a photograph held by the State Library of WA (066167PD) shows similar broken windows and apparent derelict condition.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-37-2001.1311

Item type

Photographs

Material

Photographic Paper

Width

25.5000 cm

Height or length

15 cm

Themes

Social History

Inscriptions and markings

Written on reverse of photo in pencil is "The Old Mill (Drummond) Toodyay"

Contextual Information

The keystone from archway is on display in Connor's Mill and is documented in the Shire of Toodyay collection under accession number 2017.20.
(Same image as Shire of Toodyay collection accession number 2001.1289 - this one is sepia, the other is smaller and in black and white)

Keywords

DRUMMONDS Steam Mill

Mills

Year

1886

Year End

1900

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Geotag

-31.528936939527, 116.45874288869

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