St. Lawrence Starch Company: The Plant and Production - Page Banner

St. Lawrence Starch at one time operated a large wet milling plant referred to as the Starch works, at the corner of Hurontario and Lakeshore Rd. in Port Credit (now part of Mississauga).

Aerial view of St. Lawrence Starch plant, Port Credit, Ontario, colour painting, ca. 1960

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Aerial view of St. Lawrence Starch plant,
Port Credit, Ontario, colour painting, [ca. 1960]
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-1-1-1
Archives of Ontario

[Block Plan of Plant] : Bounded by Anne Street,Toronto Street, and Lake Ontario, showing Factory, Boiler House, Machine Shop, October 1, 1915

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[Block Plan of Plant] : Bounded by Anne Street,
Toronto Street, and Lake Ontario, showing
Factory, Boiler House, Machine Shop, October 1, 1915
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-13. AO 6381
Archives of Ontario

The first plant, built in 1891, could grind 250 bushels of corn per day. There was a major expansion of the original factory in 1912-1913.

At one time, in a day the plant would grind 12,000 bushels of corn, producing 360,000 pounds of starch and 30,000 pounds of corn syrup.

Image of: Two pages from time book one, showing employees and their attendance 1894

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Two pages from time book one, showing
employees and their attendance, 1894
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-23, Box 60
Archives of Ontario

Photo: Group photograph of St. Lawrence Starch employees taken on the north side of the first plant just west of where the corn was unloaded from wagons, 1898

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Group photograph of St. Lawrence Starch employees taken on the north side of the first plant just west of
where the corn was unloaded from wagons, 1898
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-4-1-1
Archives of Ontario, I0013643

Photo: Interior of plant showing vats probably filled with corn syrup, n.d.

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Interior of plant showing vats probably
filled with corn syrup, [ca. 1930]
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-1-2-4
Archives of Ontario, I0013642


Photo: Interior of plant showing storage area with stacked boxed and bagged corn starch ready for shipping, [ca 1930]

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Interior of plant showing storage area with
stacked boxed and bagged corn starch
ready for shipping, [ca. 1930]
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-1-2-4
Archives of Ontario, I0013641

Photo: Interior of plant showing equipment used to fill bottles of Bee Hive Corn Syrup, [ca. 1930]

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Interior of plant showing equipment used to
fill bottles of Bee Hive Corn Syrup, [ca. 1930]
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-1-2-1
Archives of Ontario, I0013630

Photo: Interior of plant showing corn starch bag filling and sealing machinery, [ca. 1930]

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Interior of plant showing corn starch bag
filling and sealing machinery, [ca. 1930]
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-1-2-4
Archives of Ontario, I0013640

The Company became a leading employer in Port Credit, at one time employing several hundred workers. Often several generations of a family would be employed in what was known as "the Starch works".

After the company ceased its domestic production in 1990, the factories were demolished and the site is currently occupied by a new housing development (the Company offices remain in the office building, which was built in the 1930s).

Photo: St. Lawrence Starch delivery truck, mounted and coloured, [ca. 1950]

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St. Lawrence Starch delivery truck, mounted
and coloured, [ca. 1950]
St. Lawrence Starch Company fonds
Reference Code: F 4392-2-0-19
Archives of Ontario, I0013631

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