Steam Mill Museum Hosts Antique Engine Display

Gear up for a special antique engine display at Sutherland Steam Mill Museum on Aug. 21, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., in Denmark near Tatmagouche.

Motor with the whole family to see gas-powered antique engines and tools. The display is presented by the Annapolis Valley Antique Engine Club. Admission is free.

Make n break, jump spark and one and two lungers are some of the more than 30 farm and marine engines on display with hand-powered tools, some dating from the early 1900s. It's an unusual look at the technology of early industry in Nova Scotia -- and lots of fun for demonstrators and visitors alike.

Come hear the steam whistle blow. The steam will be up at Sutherland Mill all afternoon, with demonstrations of lathe cutting on the mill's machinery from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Sutherland Steam Mill is an example of the evolution of Nova Scotian industry. Early mills were water-powered and needed to be situated near a stream with a current strong enough to turn a water-wheel. When Sutherland Mill was built in the late 1800s, industry was beginning to use steam-powered engines, which allowed the mill to be built near a railway. From there, products could be easily shipped. Wood products -- lumber, windows, carriages and gingerbread decorative shingle trim -- made at Sutherland Steam Mill were sent to markets as far away as England. It ceased operation as a working mill in 1958.

After your visit to the mill, take in a barbecue and corn boil at the nearby Denmark Community Hall until 5 p.m.

Sutherland Steam Mill is one of 25 museums in the Nova Scotia Museum family, part of the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture.