The Old Mill

In 1817, Silas Hawes patented his metal carpenter’s square, created by welding up-and-down saws at right angles. Hawes and Stephen Whipple, blacksmiths by trade, formed Eagle Square Company to produce the carpenter’s square. To meet demand, in 1823, Whipple built the stone mill and dam to power a water wheel and trip hammer.

The Old Mill, also called the Whipple Mill or Eagle Square Mill, was rebuilt in 1856 after a fire. The first-floor blacksmith shop operated until 1883. The second-floor water-powered grist mill continued until the building was sold in 1925 to Ann K. Edwards. Surviving heavy commercial use, fire damage, and neglect, only the original rubblestone walls remained intact when she saved the Old Mill, rehabilitating it as a dwelling.