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This one and a half storey frame house in the heart of the Hamlet of Almira has the distinctive silhouette of a mill worker's cottage. Its long, low profile, simplicity of design and proximity to the mill site provide tell-tale clues to its connection with the mid 19th century industrial complex. Also evident from a close examination of the structure, it was originally a double house for mill workers and their families.
The Almira grist and woollen mills were built by Benjamin Bowman in 1844, so the construction of the mill worker's housing around this time seems likely. Jacob and John Klein owned the property where the house stands from 1844 to 1857. Based on the census returns of 1851, it appears that John Klein, a labourer, was residing in one half of the house, and the other half was occupied by Wilson Chaffer, a miller. By the mid 1850s, Benjamin Bowman had relocated his place of residence from the mill to this house, which was also occupied by his son, James. James Bowman operated a grocery store and general store across from the mill, and his father Benjamin served as Almira's first postmaster.
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