Anten Mills 150 Years
June 15, 2025 –
James Binnie of Scotland emigrated to Canada in 1873 and was followed thereafter by his bride-to-be, Ellen Mackenzie. After their marriage and a brief stopover in Edgar (Oro Township) they settled on Lot 4, Concession 7, Vespra Township. The Binnie’s had a large family of 10 children. Mr. Binnie was a very religious man. Each day he knelt beside his chair and read from the family bible giving thanks for the many blessings. James was very active in the Anten Mills Methodist church as Sunday School superintendent for 25 years. He could sing and preach, often leading the congregation. The family faced many challenges including 2 barn fires plus grass/tree fires. Mrs Binnie who often helped in the harvest saw a grass fire coming her way one day and grabbed her baby to hide in a deep ditch for safety while the fire passed overhead. The Binnie’s neighbours were the Muirs (whom we met a few months ago) and Margaret Muir known as Granny Muir was James Binnie’s sister. One stormy wintry night James Binnie walked to prayer service at the Methodist Church in Anten Mills but no one else came. He knelt in the church and thanked God for the church and the members. The next Sunday Robert Carson announced that the prayer service had been cancelled the week before due to inclement weather. James Binnie rose and respectfully said “ Well Brother Robert, I was here and I knelt by my chair to pray. The lord was here and we had a wonderful time. Yes, there was a prayer meeting”! (A History of Vespra Township)
Karl and Madeleine Phillips purchased 112 acres of Lot 4, Concession 7, Vespra Township in 1964 from John (Jack) and Verna Binnie. Jack was the youngest of James and Ellen Binnie’s children. Forty Five acres of this land was approved for a subdivision in 1975. The result was 20 beautiful estate lots of two acres each. The street was named Binnie Drive after the original settlers. Community members on Binnie and Pinehurst Lane to the south along with Hendrie Road residents have formed a southern cohort for Anten Mills. Binnie Drive residents even had their own street party on July first for many years. Binnie Drive borders up against Springwater Golf Course at the western end beyond the cul-de sac.
The southern part of the village continues to grow with the current expansion of a subdivision on the remainder of the Binnie property. Cottonwood Street off Wilson Drive already has new houses occupied and some built for sale. Winterberry Drive and Red Maple Road connect to Binnie Drive at its western end. At the end of Cottonwood Street a paved walkway/bicycle path connects to the North Simcoe Rail Trail.
Today, James and Ellen Binnie would be awestruck if they returned to their farm with all the changes like paved streets that are dotted with modern new homes!
Anten MILLS – by Dennis Gannon
They came in droves. They searched high and low. They bartered the price and walked away with their treasures. The annual Anten Mills community wide Garage Sale was last Saturday with close to 20 homes participating. Vehicles were seen before 8AM cruising the streets seeking out the best spots with the treasures they were looking for. It was a great day and both the sellers and the buyers were happy with the results.
Have you noticed the banners that now adorn our village? After the Anten Mills Celebrating 150 finalized the logo earlier this year, the decision was made to put banners celebrating our community in order for everyone passing through would know that we are 150 years in the making. Putting banners on the utility poles is not an easy task. The locations needed to be determined, permission from Hydro One was required. Then finding an electrical contractor with a bucket truck had to be secured. After that finding a printing company to make the banners at a reasonable cost and finding the funds to get it all in place. Everything eventually came together and now we have community recognition of the celebration at the entrances to the village, at the Community Centre and along Wilson Dr. and Horseshoe Valley Rd. The community thanks our Ward 3 Councillor, Brad Thompson for securing the funds necessary from his discretionary funds account with full Council support. The installation of the banners on the utility poles was completed by local resident and electrical contractor Shawn Neddeau and his company Davy Electric. The banners were printed by Georgian Copy and Printers owned and operated by Anten Mills residents, Ali and Tasneem Taherali. The final products look great and will be up for the balance of the year.
In the last column a request was posted for historical photos of activities and people from the community as part of our celebration project. A few photos have been submitted and the committee thanks those who sent them. More are needed and you are asked to dig deep into the family history and send your photos to antenmills150@gmail.com.
The students at Minesing Central School held an end of school year variety show last week. The show was a great success and many local students demonstrated their creative talents. The 150 committee is looking for performers to participate in a variety show at the celebration on September 13 and it would be nice to have some local children demonstrating their talents. Parents and perhaps grandparents are encouraged to discuss the opportunity and let the committee know that they are interested in participating by sending an email to antenmills150@gmail.com and a committee member will be in touch.
One of the important items that the committee wanted to see completed before the celebration was the interior renewal to the community centre. Costs would be prohibitive to totally restore the hall with hardwood floors and random width tongue and groove ceiling. The township was requested to mimic what was there previously and at the last Council meeting the work was approved and a contractor selected. The work will begin soon and the hall will not be accessible for the duration of the project. The work is to be completed by the celebration on Saturday, September 13 and will be showcased that day.
This is a reminder that the end of school ice cream social is planned for next Tuesday, June 24 from 5:15 to 6PM at under the pavilion at the community centre. Preregistration is required in order that sufficient supplies are available and there is a nominal $1 per student cost. Check the Anten Mills Community Bulletin on Facebook for more details and signup.
Tomorrow, Friday June 20 is the longest day of the year and the beginning of the Summer Solstice. The sun will rise at 5:34 AM and set at 9:06 PM for a total of 15 hours and 32 minutes of daylight. Summer officially begins at 10:42 PM and hopefully we will enjoy a great summer.
Next week is the end of the school year for the children. The community congratulates all students on their accomplishments and wishes them the best in the coming year.
July 1 is Canada Day. It’s a day to celebrate our fabulous country. While not part of a long weekend, it is a statutory holiday and a day off for most. We have endured a number of challenges this year with some uncertainty occurring in the world. This July 1 let’s celebrate our country. The best and easiest way is to display our nation’s flag. Flying the flag demonstrates our pride in our nation and the freedoms that we have. Let’s make Anten Mills an example of how we demonstrate that Canada is the best nation in the world by flying our national flag.
The Anten Mills Community Recreation Association is working on a couple of movie nights under the pavilion. Watch the Facebook page for more details.
Brian’s story this week is about the Binnie Dr. area. Check it out.
That’s all for this week. Happy Canada Day, THANKS for READING, BE WELL and STAY SAFE.