Anten Mills
by Dennis Gannon
Welcome to 2025! When the clock turned to midnight on January 1, 2000, the world was worried that computers would fail and that there would be a world of turmoil. Fortunately nothing happened and we welcomed a new century that has seen unprecedented change. Here’s to another 25 years without the human challenges that many are facing.
2024 was a good year for our community. The Anten Mills Community Recreation Association along with the wonderful volunteers provided the village with some fantastic fun. During the early months, attempts were made to have a skating rink. Unfortunately the season was very short due to the unseasonable weather that we had. Come Easter two very successful events occurred. The Easter Eggstravaganza started off with the Bunny Run with over 100 participants. Then the Easter fun continued with the Easter Egg Hunt and other activities. In May and June youth pickup ball was fun on the diamond. In July and August outdoor movie nights were held. With the end of the school year an ice cream social night had a good turnout. The August night had the Springwater Fire and Emergency Services volunteer firefighters come with some water fun before the movie. A great fall day in September brought many to the park and the pavilion as the Anten Mills Autumn Crafters and Artisans Fair along with the first Chili cook off was held. Then in October another two days of fun were had. First was the Witches Walk and music night. While it was a bit soggy, the participants and a fun evening. On the Sunday, it was the youngsters’ chance to have Halloween fun. December of course was our Christmas in the Village weekend. With the support of our volunteer firefighters, Santa Claus made an appearance on both the Saturday night and the Sunday afternoon as we had our Tree Lighting and Santa Claus parade. Both events had great community support with donations to the food bank and even a fresh snowfall to make it more spectacular. Another event that has continued for many years is the Thursday evening euchre. This is a fun group that meets at 7 throughout the year with the exception of the summer. They are always looking for new players. Through the suggestion of a community member, January was the start of a group that meets regularly on Tuesday afternoons and has given greatly to the community at large. The Knotty Knitters through their work have made donations supporting the Elmvale and District Food Bank, Victoria Village and other organizations. Regularly there are upwards of twenty knitters who get together for a couple of hours of social fun. All of these events were all possible through the contributions of the people of the community. Whether they donated their time or offered support in other ways, these events could not be held without the generosity provided. A huge thank you goes out to all and we hope that we can count on you in the future.
The year 2025 should see the return of many of these events and one new one. In the fall a group got together to discuss how we can celebrate a milestone for the community. 150 years ago, in 1875, Anten Mills became a true community with the establishment of a school. To celebrate this milestone a one day event is being planned for Saturday, September 13. While still in the planning stages, this will be a special celebration that you won’t want to miss. A request was made to Springwater Council to refurbish the school bell and some interior improvements at the community centre and hopefully we will see them come to fruition. A logo will become part of our communications and starting with this edition of the paper, Brian Keyes will bring us interesting insights about how we came about and what has happened over the last 150 years. It will be something to look forward to.
On a more somber note our community mourns as two longtime members passed away in the past several weeks. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Pat (Patricia) Orr a resident of 50 years who still has family in the village. Pat’s funeral was this past Saturday. Living a remarkable life of 100 years, Art Cox also passed away. Art’s family has an incredible history with the village which we will read more about in coming editions. While Art moved to Barrie’s number of years ago, he and his family are still part of this community. Art’s funeral is on Friday, January 3. Our sympathies are extended to both Pat and Art’s families. May they Rest in Peace.
That’s it for this week. May 2025 bring you blessings and prosperity and be filled with joy! THANKS for READING, BE WELL and STAY SAFE.
What’s in a name like Anten Mills?
By Brian Keyes.
“A community, however, is defined by it’s people and their shared history, not by municipal boundaries “Heather Smeding, A history of Vespra Township. Anten Mills is an non-incorporated village in Springwater Township on the Townline (boundary) of the former townships of Vespra and Flos, prior to amalgamation in 1994. The village can be roughly described as extending from Rainbow Valley Road in the north to Hendrie Road in the south and from Nursery Road in the east to Golf Course Road in the west. It would be contrary to my opening statement to exclude anyone beyond these ‘boundaries’.
The name of Anten Mills originates from two of its earliest residents, Charles Anderson and James Tennant. At that time in the mid 1800s, the main industries were Forestry and Farming. The first was necessary to continue the latter. Anderson & Tennant established a sawmill in the gully behind what has recently been known as the ‘Fry Guy’ on Horseshoe Valley Rd (Townline). In order to maintain a mill pond to power the sawmill, the men harnessed water from a spring/well nearby. This water was not only piped from the spring/well to the sawmill but to buildings which were built in the area such as houses, barns, the church and the school. The village name then was created by taking the first parts of each man’s name An (Anderson) & Ten (Tennant) combined with their Mill business to form Anten Mills.
Not only did Anderson and Tennant give the village it’s name, they provided employment to early settlers who were getting established in this new country. Local farmers were able to bring lumber from the farms they were clearing to sell and/or process at the Anderson/Tennant Mill.
The men were philanthropic as it has been understood by residents during these years that Mr. Anderson donated the land for the Methodist Church (currently Pentecostal Church of Emmanuel) and more importantly the Anderson/Tennant Mill supplied the lumber to build the church in 1879.
The first school in Anten Mills was established in 1875.The school building was a converted driving shed from the Mill. Again, we see the influence of Anderson/Tennant on the early settlement. The current Anten Mills Community Centre is the school building that was built in 1892 to replace the first school. The opening of the school in 1875 has established the timeline for the 150 year anniversary celebrations in 2025.
Anten Mills is often associated with the name Hendrie. Next time we will explore the origin and significance of the name Hendrie.