Leard's Mill

Leard's Mill in rural Coleman, Prince County, Prince Edward Island is a large 2 ½ storey wood shingle clad single gable structure. Located adjacent to Leard's Pond on Trout River, the mill is located near the Confederation Trail, the former PEI Railway line.

Dating from 1888, Leard's Mill is one of the last surviving mills in the Maritimes. In the mid to late 19th century, grist and sawmills were plentiful with more than 117 recorded grist mills in Prince Edward Island in the 1870s.

Built by James Barclay of O'Leary, the mill was powered by the nearby dam created to supply a steady flow of water to power the mill. For a time, the mill generated electricity for the nearby town of O'Leary, seven kilometres away.

In 1899 Peter Warren Leard (1878-1955) purchased the mill and three generations of the Leard family continued its operation until it closed in 2002. Peter Leard's son Waldron Leard (1890-1974) took over operations in approximately 1915, later joined by his brother Albert. Ownership later passed to Warren Leard (1924-2020) who ran the mill until its 2002 closure.

The mill's close proximity to its power source occasionally led to damage to the building when springtime flooding encroached on the building's foundation. In 1938 the building was raised by Spurgeon Jeffery and new sills were constructed and concrete piers were placed as supports. Jeffery was well-known for his skill in moving buildings. Restored by a community group in 2017-2018, the building was again lifted for new footings, a stabilized foundation and north wall. A steel roof was added, the building was re-shingled, and the original sash windows were repaired or rebuilt. The ramp / bridge leading to the entry was replaced and new doors installed. The restoration committee was recognized with the PEI Museum & Heritage Foundation's Irene Rogers Award for architectural preservation in 2019.

In 1954 a diesel engine was installed replacing the waterwheel. Wheat, oats and buckwheat were ground into flour for farmers and customers who as recently as the 1990s, travelled to Coleman from not only PEI, but Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In addition to his work as a miller Warren Leard (1924-2020) would provide tours of the working mill to school groups and to tourists in the summer months.

Much of the original milling equipment is still found in the building which in 2012 was donated to the Canadian Potato Museum in O'Leary. Plans are continuing for the interpretation of the site.

Leard's Mill continues to be a valued heritage asset because of the rarity of this type of structure and its importance to the industrial and social history of its community and the province.

Source: Heritage Places files, Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE File #: 4310-20/L13

The heritage value of Leard's Mill is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the scale and massing of the building

- the pitch and slope of the roof

- the wood shingle cladding

- the size and placement of the 6-over-6 sash windows

- the double entrance doors and lower level doors

Further heritage character-defining elements:

- The Mill's location on Leard's Pond and its proximity to the Confederation Trail

- The Mill's interior features including the original milling equipment and wood plank floors