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They have been grinding for 30 years at the Morningstar Mill — and the City of St. Catharines is formally recognizing the dedicated volunteers who keep the wheels turning while preserving and celebrating local history.

The Friends of Morningstar Mill is celebrating its 30th anniversary. A delegation of officials met with the group Saturday at the historic site to thank its members for their efforts.

“We can’t thank the Friends of Morningstar Mill enough,” said the city’s supervisor of historical services, Kathleen Powell. “They work tirelessly to preserve our local history and share it with the community, providing us with a unique glimpse of our community’s past that otherwise might go unnoticed.”

The community group was organized in 1992 after approaching city council with a plan to restore and operate the mill at Decew Falls.

“We’re all passionate about history, and I can’t say enough about how great the Friends are as a group of people,” said Hank Braun, a Friends of Morningstar Mill member for 19 years. “We couldn’t do what we do without the support received from the community, local businesses and the city.”

Richard Chappel built the facility in 1872 and it was known initially as Mountain Mills because it included a grist mill, sawmill and cider press and other related buildings, historian Dennis Gannon wrote in his Yesterday and Today column.

Wilson Morningstar purchased it in 1883. A fire in 1892 destroyed the wooden interior and machinery of the grist mill, leaving only the building’s stone walls standing, but Morningstar rebuilt it. He operated the mill for 50 years until his death in 1933. In 1941, his heirs sold the property to Ontario Hydro and the property was eventually acquired by the city.

Since restoring the mill, and several other buildings on the site, the community group worked to keep it operational and open from May to October for free tours and demonstrations of the flour-making process. The group also assists with collections management and is on site twice a week for maintenance and restoration work during the off-season.

In 2019 alone, the group spent more than 3,900 hours volunteering and gave about 15,000 people tours, a press release from the city said. This year, the site opens to the public on Saturday, May 21.

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