After over three years of hard work, Bristol farmers Isabelle Lajoie and Marc Bergeron threw open the doors of Quyon’s iconic Egan Mill on Friday morning, inviting the community to take a tour of the building that has stood unused for over a decade.
The couple’s ambitious revitalization project, which began when they purchased the historic site in 2022, has transformed the original building into a museum with artifacts from throughout the mill’s life, built a new grain milling facility and farm shop stocked with local agricultural products, all of which guests were encouraged to explore at Friday’s opening.
With some light refreshments in hand, including homemade donuts made with Egan Mill flour, the over 100 in attendance listened as several community leaders shared their congratulations to Lajoie and Bergeron for taking on a project many in the community longed to see done.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin, himself a Quyon native, shared that when he was young, he attended a daycare across the street from the mill.
“It means so much to me to see this place have a second lease on life. [ . . . ] To know that there are people who are willing to take that risk, I think, means a lot to everybody here,” Fortin said.
“This is an economic project, but it is also a project that explains who we are, where we come from, and what’s led to what we have as a village, and what we now have as one of the focal points in this town.”
During her turn at the mic, Lajoie said reopening the mill was indeed an ambitious project, but one of great value.
“The museum is the cultural heart . . . ” she said, before being overcome by emotion. Quickly, the crowd stepped up to encourage her. “We love you,” someone yelled from the crowd. Applause filled the mill, and Lajoie continued with a smile.
“ . . . A connection between land, food and society. A place of remembrance, but also education for younger generations,” Lajoie finished.
The mill, which has the capacity to produce 4.5 million kilograms of flour a year, currently offers wheat flour without additives or bleaching, available for purchase online or in the store on site. In the future, Bergeron and Lajoie will work towards offering a variety of grain flours they hope to sell in other stores across the region.
“This is just the beginning,” Lajoie said. “We hope that this will serve as leverage for more ambitious projects.”
After the official words of congratulations were complete, the crowd funnelled outside to witness a reenactment of a historical duel between John Egan, the Irish lumber baron who in 1846 built the site’s original sawmill and a grist mill on the Quyon River, and Bytown lawyer Andrew Powell – a nod to the history the mill’s new owners are working to preserve.
