Old Schwamb Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Old Schwamb Mill
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The Old Schwamb Mill in 2009
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| Location | 17 Mill Lane and 29 Lowell St Arlington, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1861 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000081 |
| Added to NRHP | October 7, 1971 |
The Old Schwamb Mill is a really old mill located in Arlington, Massachusetts. It's special because it might be the oldest place in the United States where a mill has been working non-stop! People have been using this spot for milling since about 1684. The building you see today was built in 1861. Now, it's a living history museum where you can see how things were made long ago. This historic place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Contents
What is the Old Schwamb Mill?
The Schwamb Mill sits next to Mill Brook. This brook flows through the western part of Arlington. The main mill building looks like a "U" shape. It is three stories tall at the front. The land slopes down steeply towards the stream. The building has wooden siding called clapboard. Most of its roofs are flat. There are also two connected buildings across Mill Lane. These were once used to dry wood and store things.
How the Mill Site Started
The area that is now Arlington was first settled by Europeans in the 1630s. People quickly saw that Mill Brook was a good spot for mills. The very first mill in the colony was built on Mill Brook in 1637. This was near where the Arlington Public Safety Building is today. That first mill was stopped in 1645.
The current mill site began in 1681. First, a dam was built. Then, a grist mill was put up. A grist mill grinds grain into flour. In 1704, a sawmill was added. A sawmill cuts wood into lumber.
From Spices to Picture Frames
In 1860, a man named Henry Woodbridge bought this mill complex. He changed it to grind spices. But then, a big fire badly damaged the mill. It was rebuilt the very next year, in 1861.
In 1864, two brothers, Charles and Frederick Schwamb, bought the mill. They used it to make special circular and oval picture frames. The mill stayed in their family for a long time. It kept working with the same machines and methods until 1969. During this time, two more parts were added to the building. One was added by 1881, and another between 1881 and 1898.
In 1969, a group of people formed a non-profit organization. They bought the mill to protect it. Today, the mill still has working machines. It also has four old power systems that are still preserved.
See also
Images for kids
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Old Schwamb Mill.
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Interior scene.
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An outbuilding
