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Mills.

The tradition that the French at Tatamagouche had five small water mills* is in itself not improbable. Certainly no settlement, particularly one so isolated as Tatamagouche , would be long without the means of grinding grain and sawing lumber. The site of one mill is definitely known. It was on one of the oldest farms in the community, part of the inheritance of Samuel Waugh, a grandson of Wellwood Waugh. Through it, a small brook from its source in lowlands to the South or Southwest, flowed to discharge itself a few hundred yards further down into Waugh’s River. Just above where it is now crossed by the highway West of Murdock’s Bridge, can been seen an earthen mound, through which the brook has worked itself. This by tradition has been identified as the site of a French Mill. Certainly it resembles what is still pointed out as a French Mill site near the United Church Manse at Clifton in the Cobequid area.

Besides this mill there were said to be four others. The one on the Mill Brook gave that brook its name. Its site is not known. On a plan of the DesBarres estate made in 1804 a mill is marked on the Mill Brook just above its junction with the main River. But this may have been the one built about that time by Wm. DesBarres and Wellwood Waugh.** Of the other three, one was on the main French River; one on the Blockhouse Creek, and the third at Gousar. Their sites are not now known, although the one on Blockhouse Creek was said to have been up stream not far from the present road bridge.***

*"Memoir of Dr. MacGregor." ibid page 263 "History of Pictou County"; Rev. George Patterson page 129
** One of the earliest mills built by the permanent settlers was on Woodlock’s Brook. Presumably it was built by DesBarres and Wellwood Waugh. It was there before 1787, for in that year when the Waugh Block was granted to Waugh, its description began as follows: "Beginning at a white spruce tree marked W.W. on the Bank of what is called the Mill Brook at where the old mill dam stood...."
***It is rather unusual that Willard makes no mention of the destruction of these mills. This omission from his diary, however, can be explained on the ground that, as is obvious from its reading, the diary did not contain a complete record of his doings while at Tatamagouche . Or of course, he may have missed the mills or thought it was a waste of time to destroy them.

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