HISTORY - - - Reminders of the Ice Age are plentiful in the locality of Moore's Mills--- great granite boulders strewn by glacier action. Examination of the soil today shows that the "stream" flowed in different channels, both to the east and west from that it now occupies. When the first white men came, remains of beaver dams showed that the property now owned by grant's, McLay's, Sinclair's, Mrs. Graham, Mrs. Merrill, etc. had been a lake at one time. The "stream" which begins about 6 miles away in Baillie, drains the Indian Pond, Foster Lake, Middle Lake, widens into Cranberry Lake (called by the Indians-- Paugwaugamus - muddy water) at the north of the village and empites out of the lake at the south, which the Indians called Seukegwaugamus (clear water). Early white settlers called it DANA Stream from the Dana Indians of the locality, but this name was mis-spelled DENNIS on one of the first maps made and that mistake continues to this day.

The early history of the opening of the country hereabout by white men is so interwoven with that of St. David Ridge, Tower Hill and other nearby villages, one cannot write on one without telling much of the others. At the close of the War of the American Revolution in 1783, a grant of a large tract of land, mostly in what is now the Parish of St. David, was made by the King, to the "Cape Ann Association" which was a Corporate Body of about 148 men, some of them soldiers from the disbanded 71st Regiment, other farmers, lumbermen and traders from Mass., New York, New Hampshire and other places, who wished to remain under the British flag and get away from the victorious Revolutionists. Among them was William Moore from New Hampshire.

The vessels bringing the families and equipment of the men of the "Cape Ann Association" probably landed them at Oak Bay and they made their way through the forest up along St. David Ridge, William Moore building his first log cabin at the site where George Hyslop lives now. Later he secured for himself and his sons the water rights on the Dana and Gallop Stream. He brought mill machinery from New Hampshire, built a dam just above where the bridge is now, and raised a saw mill and grist mill in one buildings. The first lumber saved out was used for a shelter for the workmen. This was later moved to another location in order that his son

The building with the saw and grist mill burned in 1808. When rebuilt in separate buildings, other mills were added and when the dam washed out in 1830, there were the saw mill, shingle mills, carding mill, grist mill and fulling mills. Most of these burned in 1859. They were rebuilt and in continuous operation to the end of the century, along with a furniture and wood working shop below the bridge. All mills finally burned in 1914.

The first roads were merely foot paths from one log cabin to another. "The King's Engineers" made a survey about the time of the coming of the Loyalists, their method being to start from the tide water, take a sight to the highest hill in the vicinity, from it take a sight to the next high hill and so on and on until they came to a large stream or river. Thus the road from Oak Bay was notched out over St. David Ridge, down to what we call the Bagley turn, up over Connick Hill to DeWolfe Corner and on over Ghost Hill to Lynnfield. They first went to St. Stephen by way of Old Ridge. The Valley Road was put through sometime between 1850 and 1857. The road from DeWolfe Corner over Lyle's Hill was probably opened up about 1830. When men from Old Ridge, Oak Hill and other places went to St. Andrews, they followed a trail from Eva Maxwell's Corner, through Willard McGibbon's land to the foot of the lake and on down St. David Ridge. All supplies were carried on their back.