Decew Falls is named after John DeCou, an early landowner who settled in the Townships of Thorold and Grantham around 1788. John DeCou was the son of a United Empire Loyalist and ‘purchased one man’s right to a hundred acres for an axe and an Indian blanket, and another hundred acres for a gold doubloon’. By 1792, he had built a log cabin and a sawmill along Beaverdams Creek about one kilometer upstream from Decew Falls. He also operated an oil mill for processing flax seed.  In 1812, John DeCou purchased the property along the top of the Escarpment, extending from his newly built stone house to Decew Falls.

During the War of 1812, DeCou served as a Lieutenant in the Second Regiment of the Lincoln Militia. His home was used by the British as a headquarters, and it was there that Laura Secord arrived in June 1813 to warn of an impending American attack.

After the war, DeCou restored his land, repaired his mills, and built a stone grist mill at Decew Falls which was powered by an overshot waterwheel.  DeCou’s business endeavors prospered, and the area became known as Decew Town.  The small community had a school, church and a blacksmith shop. The construction of the First Welland Canal, however, disrupted the water supply and left the mills without adequate power. As a result, DeCou sold his home and property in 1834 and relocated to the Township of North Cayuga.

The mill was for sale again a few years later. A sales notice in the St. Catharines Journal on February 8, 1837, described DeCou’s stone grist mill as having a 16-foot overshot waterwheel, with a reliable water supply capable of powering the wheel, millstones, a bolter (sifter), and other light machinery. The offer also included a small frame house and ten acres of land.

Little is known about the mill’s history between 1837 and 1860. It may have continued operating for some time, but the construction of the Second Welland Canal likely disrupted its water supply. Over the next three decades, the mill gradually fell into disrepair.

On August 20, 1860, historian, writer, engraver, and traveler, Benson J. Lossing, recorded an entry in his journal about Decew Falls, accompanied by sketches of the DeCou house and the falls. In his description, he made a brief reference to ‘the remains of an old mill’ at the top of the falls. The stone from Decou’s mill was likely repurposed for other uses over the years. Historic photographs taken between 1865 and 1870 show no trace of a stone structure.

In 1865, Robert Chappell purchased the old mill site. Sometime between 1865–1870, a wooden ‘frame grist mill’ had been built on the site. This structure may have been relocated or destroyed by fire. By 1872, Chappell had constructed a new stone grist mill, named Mountain Mills—now known as Morningstar Mill.

Carla Mackie is Historical Services Coordinator with the City of St. Catharines. Historical Services includes the Morningstar Mill, the Lakeside Park Carousel, and the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre.