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Reid's Mill Smokestack

32 and 34 Old Mill Road, Gagetown, New Brunswick, E5M, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2007/04/16

This image shows the remaining structure from the Reid's Mill, the smokestack; Village of Gagetown
Reid's Mill Smokestack
This image shows the strategic proximity of the former mill site to the water; Keith MacKenzie
Reid's Mill Smokestack
This painting by Morris Scovil depicts the working Reid's Mill along the water; Queens County Heritage Collection
Reid's Mill Smokestack

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1919/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/03/03

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Reid’s Mill Smokestack consists of a brick-lined, steel-girded concrete stack with steel grating around the top. A local landmark, especially for river traffic, it is located on Old Mill Road in Gagetown.

Heritage Value

The Reid’s Mill Smokestack is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the former Reid’s Mill. The smokestack is all that remains to mark the site of Reid’s Mill, an important employer in the Village of Gagetown for several decades. The Reid Brothers, Richard and Frank, had been lumbering in the area from 1906-1907 and, in 1919, they established a large steam powered saw mill on the banks of the Saint John River just below the Gagetown Ferry. They became the largest employer in the village and also the largest exporter in the area. There was a siding from the Valley Railway at the mill site, boxcars were loaded with lumber and then shipped to the Boston area. The Reid’s Mill was a typical saw mill of the period, with a lot of the logs being transported to the mill by water. The mill was somewhat ill-fated, being entirely burned in 1935, although the smokestack survived the blaze. It was rebuilt and then in 1941, 600 thousand board feet of lumber were destroyed by fire. Shortly after the woodland behind Gagetown was expropriated for the development of Base Gagetown in 1953, Reid’s Lumber Mill, which by this time was known as “The Gagetown Lumber Company”, went out of business and was torn down.

The smoke stack is about ninety feet tall, with square sides, approximately 6 feet per side. At the foot of the tower there is a larger rectangular structure that housed the furnace and the boiler. The stack is made of cast-in-place concrete and is lined with a creamy-orange fire brick that is said to have been imported from Scotland. The screening at the top preserves the top edge to some extent and has been the nesting site for osprey for the last eight years. Also, the tower is girded with steel bars at five foot intervals which serve to maintain its structural integrity.

Source: Queens County Heritage Archives – Gagetown Historic places file

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Reid’s Mill Smokestack include:
- tall brick-lined and steel-girded concrete tower with enlarged steel-grated top;
- visual landmark status, especially from river;
- furnace and boiler rooms remain at the base of the structure;
- osprey nest.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NB)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Conservation Act

Recognition Type

Local Historic Place (municipal)

Recognition Date

2007/04/16

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1935/01/01 to 1935/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Extraction and Production

Function - Category and Type

Current

Undetermined (archaeological site)
Exposed Site

Historic

Industry
Wood and/or Paper Manufacturing Facility

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Queens County Heritage Archives, 69 Front Street, Gagetown, NB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

1944

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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