This building in St. Davids looks very different today than it did when this photograph was taken. Constructed around 1782 as a grist mill, it was one of the first “King’s Mills” in what would later become Upper Canada. The mill was originally operated by Peter Secord and his brother James, and was later run by David Secord, for whom the community of St. Davids is named. Over the years, the mill was operated by several women. But it was Hannah Secord’s defiance, and perhaps the musket she threatened the Americans with, that spared the mill from being destroyed during the burning of St. Davids in July 1814. Eventually, this building was transformed into the Old Mill Inn and hosted notable guests, including Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe, who dined there while filming “Niagara” in the 1950s. By the late 1980s, the building had fallen into disrepair and faced possible demolition. Rather than lose a structure that had simply outlived its original purpose, it was renovated and transformed into a private home.