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The Meteghan River is the longest river in the Municipality of Clare and at one time powered ten sawmills. The village of Bangor was very prosperous during the time when forestry was thriving and could very well have been named after the well-known city of Bangor, Maine, also a forestry community.
The turbine was very popular in lumbering during this era. The one used at the Bangor Sawmill was named the Little Giant and was patented in 1875by a company in Picton, Ontario. Eventually a diesel-powered saw was used to cut the logs.
As the years passed, the mill fell into a state of disrepair. In 1993, the Bangor Development Commission was formed and its purpose was to restore the 130 year-old historical site.
It took eight years of volunteer work and cooperation but the hole in the dam was repaired and the turbine, which had not been use in approximately thirty years, was carefully and lovingly restored along with chutes, ramps and the spillway.
The Bangor Sawmill was the third to be built on this site as the two previous mills were destroyed by fire. If a fire were to break out again, several half barrels filled with water that sat on the roof were to be drained. These barrels were part of an early sprinkler system. The water reservoir was released by removing the plugs from the barrels and water rushed down through pipes leading inside the mill helping to extinguish the fire. Today the half barrels of water can be seen sitting on a ridge-board on the roof ready and waiting.
On July 14, 2001, a log cutting ceremony marked the official opening of the Bangor Sawmill as a museum. Guided tours are available from June to September. Log-cutting demonstrations will also be arranged.
Official website