St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Morningstar Mill - The Blacksmith and Carpentry Shop
Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 12, 2026
1. Morningstar Mill - The Blacksmith and Carpentry Shop - Marker
To make repairs in the grist and saw mills, Wilson Morningstar had a blacksmith and carpentry shop located where the parking lot is now. The "shop" was a two storey flat-roofed wooden structure clad in metal sheeting which looked like concrete blocks. The lower level contained the blacksmith shop where Wilson made iron tires for wooden wagon wheels and shod horses in bad weather. There was also an area for smoking meat which was partitioned off with old woven rugs from the house. The upper level of the building contained a carptentry shop and a small two-roomed apartment for a hired assistant. In later years, Wilson's wife Emma rendered lard in this area.
At the forge, Lorna recalls that her grandfather had rigged up an air pump to an old bicycle. "The frame was turned upside down, and you turned one of the pedals to operate the pump ... I used to stand there and turn the handle, and the forge would glow and Grandfather would be beating red-hot metal, and the sparks would fly ... I used to love to do that."
Today, the Friends of Morningstar Mill have recreated a blacksmith and carpentry shop in the patterned
this page online
Reference and quote from Memories of Morningstar Mill by Lorna Robson and Paul Hutchinson, Slabtown Press, St. Catharines, 1994.
Erected by City of St. Catharines.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1994.
Location. 43° 6.6′ N, 79° 15.868′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It can be reached from Decew Road, on the right when traveling west. The panel is mounted on the bridge between the Morningstar Mill parking lot and the wheat mill. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2714 Decew Road, St Catharines ON L0S 1E6, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and in Niagara Canada. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts
Photographed by Kevin Westell, July 12, 2026
2. Morningstar Mill Museum
Photo faces north and north-west from the road. This marker (centre right) is one of 4 panels on the bridge from the parking lot to Morningstar Mill's flour mill. The dark red building on the left is the sawmill. In between, Beaverdams Creek has its waterfall into a gorge.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Morningstar Mill - The Sawmill (here, next to this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Mills and Property (here, next to this marker); Morningstar Mill - The Barn (here, next to this marker); Morningstar Mill - Welcome (here, next to this marker); Morningstar Mill - Robert Chappell and Mountain Mills (a few steps from this marker); Morningstar Mill - John DeCou's Falls and Mills (a few steps from this marker); Morningstar Mill - Harvesting Ice (a few steps from this marker); Morningstar Mill - Later History (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.
More about this marker. Captions:
Left: Wilson Morningstar's grandson, Donald Robson, stands with a horse in front of the blacksmith and carpentry shop, early 1930s.
Right: Ladies on the suspension bridge with the "shop" in the background, circa 1900
Credits. This page was last revised on July 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. This page has been viewed 80 times since then and 22 times this year. Last updated on July 30, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2026, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
