Roof collapses at historic Glen Huron mill

On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the mill at Hamilton Brothers in Glen Huron was a busy spot. According to owner Fred Hamilton, a large shipment of feed arrived and there were workers unloading and customers making pick-ups.

Then, sometime during the night, about 80 feet of roof collapsed. He speculates that snow came down off the main roof onto the overhang creating a snowload that was just too much.

Hamilton says the affected roof was the overhang of the mill roof extension, which he estimates to have been 30-35 years old. The main mill building is still standing.

The timing of the event was very fortunate, according to Hamilton.

“There was no one in the building at the time,” he said. “Jamie (his son) heard it come down sometime through the night. It’s very lucky no one was hurt.”

When asked whether the structure would be rebuilt, Hamilton said, “We’ll have to rebuild something. Right now the insurance companies are so busy we still haven’t seen an adjustor.”