The Old Lewis Mill at Black Point, Nova Scotia

Overview: The “old Lewis Mill” at Black Point (Ingramport), Nova Scotia was a large steam-powered sawmill established in the late 19th–early 20th century by Scottish lumber baron Lewis H. Miller. It became a major lumber operation on St. Margaret’s Bay, producing millions of board feet of lumber annually and serving as an important hub for the local economy. The mill operated for over two decades under Miller and later his sons, until it was destroyed by a catastrophic fire in 1928 . Below is a look at its founding, operations, notable events (fires, ownership changes, output), and its impact on the community, along with references to historical documents and images.

Establishment by Lewis Miller (Late 19th Century)

Lewis Hugh Miller (1848–1909) was a Scottish-born timber merchant who expanded his lumber enterprises from Scotland and Scandinavia to North America  . After success in Sweden in the 1880s, Miller ventured to Newfoundland in 1900, but by 1903 he decided to relocate to Nova Scotia . In 1903, Miller sold his Newfoundland assets and purchased 80,000 acres of timberland near Chester, Nova Scotia, including a mill site at Ingramport (Black Point)  . This property was acquired from the Dominion Lumber Company of Nova Scotia, which had begun developing a sawmill at Ingram Docks on St. Margaret’s Bay . Miller effectively took over and completed the sawmill project, likely in exchange for his Newfoundland holdings .

The sawmill officially began operations by June 1904 . Locally it was often called the Lewis Miller mill or Miller’s mill at Ingramport, but it was formally run by Lewis Miller & Company, Ltd.Miller himself only oversaw it for a few years until his death in 1909, after which his sons continued the business under the name Lewis Miller Lumber Company .

Operations and Production Output

The Miller mill at Black Point was a large steam-powered sawmill complex situated on the shores of Ingramport Bay, an inlet of St. Margaret’s Bay. This waterfront location was ideal for transporting logs by water and shipping out lumber by sea. Railway service also reached the area in 1904, providing additional transport for people and goods . The mill’s timber limits spanned tens of thousands of acres of mixed Acadian forest (spruce, hemlock, and white pine). Trees were felled in the interior and hauled to the mill using drives down the Ingram River and innovative equipment. Notably, Miller’s company employed a steam-powered “Alligator” warping tug (the W.A. Christie, acquired in 1920) to tow huge booms of up to 60,000 logs across lakes and downriver toward the mill  . This mechanization was cutting-edge for its time and greatly improved efficiency in moving timber out of the woods.

Once at the mill, logs were sawn into lumber using steam-driven saws. The output was enormous – by one account roughly 14 million board feet of lumber per year in its peak years . Much of the production was for export markets, especially to Britain and overseas destinations  . The mill’s waterfront allowed oceangoing schooners and steamships to dock at its piers. Lumber was loaded directly onto ships at Ingram Docks, which became a busy export point on the Atlantic trade routes. (In fact, remnants of ballast bricks can still be found on the bay floor, left by cargo vessels that took on heavy Nova Scotia lumber .) According to local history, tall ships regularly anchored at Ingramport Bay to carry away the mill’s timber to distant countries .

The Lewis Miller Company’s sawmill and shipping docks at Ingramport (Black Point), St. Margaret’s Bay, circa early 1900s. The top image shows part of the mill complex on the shore, and the bottom shows a steam freighter loading lumber at the mill’s wharf . This waterfront setup enabled Miller’s operation to ship millions of board feet of lumber abroad each year.

Within the local community, the Miller mill was more than just an industrial site – it was a center of economic life. The company even operated a general store at Ingramport, which had originally been run by local merchants but was later sold to Lewis Miller & Co. to serve workers and residents . This store supplied everything from groceries and dry goods to work gear, indicating how the mill fostered a small village economy around itself. At its height, the mill would have provided employment for dozens of local men in logging, milling, ship-loading, and transport, helping sustain families in Black Point, Ingramport, and surrounding St. Margaret’s Bay communities.

Significant Events and Changes

Ownership and Management: The mill’s ownership evolved over time. Initially built by Dominion Lumber Co., it passed to Lewis Miller’s control in 1903 . After Lewis Miller’s death in April 1909, his three sons took over operations, maintaining the business under the family name . Despite Miller’s death, the operation continued to thrive through the 1910s and 1920s. The family kept the mill running at high capacity, and it remained one of the most successful lumber operations in Nova Scotia of that era . There is evidence that Miller’s timber lands eventually totaled portions in both Halifax County (around Hubbards/Black Point) and Lunenburg County, reflecting the broad area of logging activity . The company’s influence was such that Miller was remembered as “a giant in the lumber industry” and a pioneer in reforestation practices, leaving “his mark not only in Newfoundland but in … Nova Scotia” .

Fires: Given the nature of early 20th-century sawmills (with dry wood, sawdust, and steam boilers), fire was an ever-present risk. The most significant event in the mill’s history was the devastating fire of 1928. On August 20, 1928, a blaze broke out that engulfed the mill and its lumber yards, reportedly consuming an estimated 4–5 million board feet of stacked lumber in just a few hours (a massive quantity reflecting the mill’s inventory) . The fire completely destroyed the sawmill complex, including buildings and valuable stockpiles of timber, effectively bringing an abrupt end to the Miller operation at Black Point. This disaster was noted in local accounts as one of the worst industrial fires in the region’s history. The mill was not rebuilt after the 1928 fire – by that time, the era of big lumber exports from St. Margaret’s Bay was waning, and the Miller family did not resume operations there. The charred ruins and the economic void left behind marked the end of a chapter for the community.

(Earlier in its life, the mill appears to have operated without any recorded major fires. However, Lewis Miller’s other sawmill in Glenwood, Newfoundland had suffered a serious fire around 1902  , which added to the challenges that prompted his move to Nova Scotia. The Black Point mill itself stayed largely incident-free until the final conflagration in 1928.)

After the mill’s destruction, the ownership of the timber lands eventually transferred to other parties. By the mid-20th century, large forestry companies (and later the Nova Scotia government) controlled those St. Margaret’s Bay woodlands. In fact, many of Miller’s former lands became part of the Bowater-Mersey Paper Company’s holdings (used for pulpwood) and were only recently returned to public hands. Local lore also recalls a Nova Scotia Power Commission expropriation of some Miller & Co. lands – possibly for hydroelectric projects – in the years after the mill closed (this is evidenced by a 1930s inquiry into an expropriation of Lewis Miller & Co. lands by the Power Commission ). These changes signaled that the age of independent sawmilling at Ingramport had passed.

Impact on the Local Economy and Community

The establishment of the Lewis Miller mill at Black Point had a profound impact on the St. Margaret’s Bay area. In the early 1900s, this region’s economy was transformed from one of small fishing villages and subsistence farms into a hub of industrial-scale lumbering. Miller’s venture brought investment and jobs – from tree cutters in the hinterland, to mill workers, teamsters, and ship crews. Dozens of local families drew their income directly or indirectly from the mill. The presence of the mill also spurred infrastructure: the Halifax and Southwestern Railway line, which opened in 1904, ran near Black Point largely to serve industries like Miller’s and to connect the South Shore communities . A station at nearby Hubbards allowed finished lumber to be sent by rail if needed, and facilitated movement of workers and goods. Additionally, the mill’s busy shipping dock meant that Black Point/Ingramport was on maritime maps as an export port – attracting schooners and steamships that in turn patronized local services and trade.

Culturally, the mill fostered a thriving community at Ingramport. The company store (later run by Miller’s firm) and other facilities became a social center. A small settlement of workers’ housing grew around the mill. Oral histories speak of a place bustling with activity – the buzz of the saws by day, and the sight of ships’ lights in the bay at night. The Miller family, being prominent employers, likely had a paternalistic relationship with the community (consistent with company towns of that era). When Miller died in 1909, his passing would have been felt locally; his obituary was carried in newspapers far and wide due to his prominence . The continuation of the business by his sons kept stability for the community for another two decades.

The 1928 fire was not only an economic blow but also a communal trauma. Many locals lost their jobs overnight. Black Point and surrounding villages experienced out-migration as workers left to seek employment elsewhere (some likely joined other lumber operations or the emerging pulp mills in Nova Scotia). The end of the mill also meant the end of regular big-ship traffic to Ingramport, slowing the local ports. Over time, the forest regenerated over the old mill site and the sounds of industry gave way once again to rustling pines and waves on the shore.

Today, the legacy of the Lewis Mill lives on in local memory and a few physical remnants. In the woods upstream, rusting pieces of the “Alligator” steam tug can still be found where it was abandoned – a tangible reminder of the ingenious log-hauling methods Miller employed  . At the shoreline in Black Point, one can occasionally find old iron spikes or bricks that once formed part of the mill’s wharf. The site of the mill is now privately owned, with modern developments, but historic photographs of the Miller mill and its ships are displayed in community museums and even local businesses (for instance, a local inn has reproduced photos lining its halls to tell the story of the mill’s heyday ). These efforts ensure that the story of the old Lewis Mill – how it fueled the growth of St. Margaret’s Bay’s economy and then vanished in an inferno – is not forgotten.

In summary, while the Lewis Mill was a major exporter of lumber, primarily to Britain. There have been claims that some of this wood may have been shipped to New York City and possibly used in the newspaper industry, including The New York Times. However, it is possible that some of the lumber reached the U.S. through indirect trade routes.