Tryon River Mills

The Lower Mills

Rivers lent themselves to mills, and the Tryon River was no excep— tion. The Woolen Mills were established on the northeast branch of the river, while Gouldrup’s (Lower) Mills and Ives’ Upper Mill were located on the northwest branch. Mills played a very important part in the lives of the founding people. North West Tryon was very fortunate to have a good stream of water flowing through the community. John Gouldrup, son of Henry Gouldrup, one of the soldiers who was brought to Tryon by Captain Samuel Holland in 1769, built the mills on the northwest branch of the Tryon River shortly after he arrived. George Leard, in his book Historic Bedeque, writes about the early Loyalist Settlers who came to Bedeque in 17 84 Those without flour took their wheat to Tryon6 where john Gouldrup ran one of the early Grist Mills in Prince Country.6 In addition to the grist mill, their were also a saw, shingle and carding mills at this location. The Ashby Map of 1798 and the Cochrane and Company Map of 1834 both indicate the presence of a saw and carding mill.

John Gouldrup operated the mills until 1843. He gave the mill property to his son, James Foy Gouldrup in his will dated October 1, 1843. James decided to become a Baptist minister shortly after his father’s death and evidently sold the mills to his cousin, John Squire Lord.John Squire Lord deeded the grist, saw, and carding mills in 1854 to his three sons: John, Joseph and William. They sold the mill property to their cousins, Archibald and Philip Lord, sons of Charles Russell Lord, on April 12,1875.8

Archibald and Philip Lord were listed as owners of the grist, saw, and shingle mills when the Meecham Atlas was published in 1880. The ownership of the mill property went from them to John Dobson of Searietown on September 7, 1882; to Alexander Morrison on May 1, 1889; to William Warren on March 26, 1891; and for $10,000.00 back to Alexander Morrison on April 10, 1895. Alexander defaulted in his payments, and the mills were sold to the highest bidder, Robert F. Lord, on April 11, 1899.9

Robert, brother of Archibald and Philip, and his sons Frederick and John, operated the mills untilJohn Squire Lord’s grand-nephew, Char- les H. Lord, and his family moved from Bedeque and purchased the farm and mills, still known as Gouldrup’s or Gould’s Mills, from Robert on October 2, 1912. At this time the name was changed to Lord’s Mills, but for only one year. Charles W Ives purchased the property on November 29, 1913, and Lord’s Mills became Ives’ Lower Mill

Charles had a keen interest in generating electricity from water power. This desire had led him to purchase a DC dynamo, marble switchboard, and related apparatus which had been used to light the

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