O’Hara Mill Homestead and the Mormora Mine – Exploring Ontario’s Highway 7 Corridor
This post contains two worthwhile, but small, attractions off Highway 7, a roadway that crosses through Central Ontario connecting Ottawa and Toronto.
O’Hara Mill Homestead and Conservation Area
My first stop along Highway 7, was the O’Hara Mill Homestead. My dog needed a short walk and this was the perfect place for it! From the parking lot there is a short trail connecting a pond, a covered bridge, a mill and a collection of cabins (the homestead). The first area you will come across is the covered bridge, in my case it was decorated for the Christmas holidays and looked quite pretty.
The bridge crosses the pond and is attached to the mill itself, excess water flowing beneath it. This is the most picturesque part of the compound. The sawmill operation began in the 1850’s and continued until 1908, being one of the most important economic partnerships by the O’Hara family, they will be discussed shortly.
Past this area, the path will bring you to the homestead itself. It belonged to the O’Hara family, a founding unit of Madoc county, with a legacy dating back to 1789 when Patrick O’Hara moved here from Ireland. Of the structures that belonged to the family, you will find a farmhouse, a sawmill (seen previously) , a carriage-house, a shed and woodworking shop. Over the years other properties have been added or moved here to preserve the pioneer heritage of Madoc county and expand the homestead. One of these buildings is now a blacksmith’s shop.
Mormora Mine and Townsite
Continuing along Highway 7, you will come across the town of Mormora. The town itself is rather forgettable, with a ruined church along the nearby Crowe River being of interests (google St. Matilda’s Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery in Mormora for more information) and a few stone buildings.
What is interesting about Mormora is its mining history. In fact, the town’s name was once Marmora Iron Works, reflecting this fact. The most important mineral found here was iron but copper, lead, silver, gold and lithographic limestone were also extracted. Nearby mine sites also processed silver, talc and dolomite.
Just south of the town you will find the Marmora Open Pit Mine, a legacy of the region’s iron ore exploration. The massive five hundred and fifty foot deep chasm has now filled with spring water and can be viewed from an observation platform that overlooks the fence that surrounds it. This is a great place to park and take pictures. It was developed in the 1950’s and opened in 1955. It was owned by Bethlehem Steel (of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), one the most prolific steel producers in the world. Of course iron ore is one of the key items used to produce steel. The site employed three-hundreds and by its closure in 1979 it had mined nearly 1.3 millions tons of iron ore. From the mine site the ore was sent south to Picton, Ontario.
Recently a new pumped storage project has been proposed by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) that may bring new life to the site. For more information check out this website: Our story | Marmora pumped storage project would turn inactive open-pit mine into giant hydro battery – OPG
Conclusion
These may be short stops, especially the mine site, but they do help break up a long drive. I personally enjoyed the mill site quite a bit, and find it to be especially quaint. It was also a great place to walk the dog, so she was happy with it as well!
