Went exploring local history today. The Blair Sheave Tower was built beside Blair Creek in 1876 to power the Blair Carlisle Grist Mill, located 240 feet downstream. The tower used a grooved wheel (sheave) higher up in the tower, to harness water power. It was connected by a pulley and cable system to the grist mill, which dates back to 1846.
The Blair Sheave Tower has many claims to fame. Having generated electricity until 1954, it is Ontario’s oldest hydroelectric generating site and the oldest such wooden tower still standing in the province. It is also one of the world’s smallest hydro-generators.
I just think it’s pretty. It is supposedly the most photographed and painted site in the region.
