Bellamy’s Mill

Introduction

Bellamy’s Mill, located in Leeds County, was first settled in the late 1700s by a group of United Empire Loyalists. Able Stevens, a Baptist deacon from the state of Vermont, first colonized the community in the late 1700s. In essence, Stevens’ message was so compelling that by 1798, roughly 100 families heeded to his call.

By the mid-1850s, Bellamy’s Mill was a busy little industrial community. Industries included saw and grist mills and a three-storey cheese factory. Additionally there was also a store, temperance hall and a Roman Catholic Church.

Luck, unfortunately, was not on Bellamy’s Mill’s side. Like many other small milling communities, Bellamy’s Mill did not fit into the railway’s plans. The Grand Trunk Railway arrived in Ontario in the mid-1850s. The railway’s mainline ran between Montreal and Toronto, considerably south of Bellamy’s Mill. Although Bellamy’s Mill was a prosperous little milling community, it had no means of getting its goods to market. The decline began in the 1870s.

Today this attractive little community continues to support a handful of residents. The founders are all well-remembered. Two pioneer cemeteries remain well tended. One contains an historical plaque, dedicated to Able Stevens.