ERIN - The newly-completed Woollen Mills Trail here will celebrate its grand opening Saturday as part of Doors Open in the Hills of the Headwaters.
Guided tours of Woollen Mills Conservation Area will be conducted at 11am and 2 pm (tours start at the Porcupine’s Quill, 68 Main Street in Erin).
The natural and built heritage of the West Credit River has been reclaimed at Woollen Mills Conservation Area through river restoration efforts and the development of a one kilometre interpretive walking trail. A walk along the Woollen Mills Trail provides a look at Erin’s mill history and a glimpse of life as an early settler.
The 8.3 acre Woollen Mills property is steeped in local history. In 1840, Daniel McMillan, one of Erin’s earliest pioneers, persuaded William Cornock, a prosperous Irish gentleman, to settle in the area.
Cornock brought in stone masons from Scotland to assist in the construction of several buildings, including a flour and grist mill.
Ten years later, the grist mill was converted to a carding (woollen) operation where wool, cotton and other fibres were combed and prepared for spinning.
The new trail takes visitors past the remains of Cornock’s woollen mill and through the regenerated cedar forest along the banks of the West Credit River.
The Woollen Mills Trail is a partnership project of Credit Valley Conservation, Erin and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and is a legacy of the West Credit Appreciation, Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project (WeCARE).
The Woollen Mills Conservation Area is located in Erin, behind Mundell Lumber on the east side of the West Credit River and adjacent to St. John Brebeuf Catholic School. Access to the Conservation Area is from Main Street in Erin. Turn east on Mill Street, cross over the bridge, and turn left on Woollen Mill Lane. The entrance to the Conservation Area is at the end of Woollen Mill Lane.
