The water gently tumbles off the falls to the basin below then gurgles over the rocks and debris between the slopes of the brook. It is an enchanting location filled with hope and promises. In the fall of 1738 the first settlers came to tame this wild place. John Corbet and Jesse Root were commissioned to build the first sawmill of the new township on Beaver Brook. All settlers left for the winter because of this area's harsh conditions and a lack of adequate shelter or supplies.
Local history is tied to the waterway.
This beautiful river helped the first settlers survive by providing them with water and a way to move their timber and goods. Beaver Brook rises in Gilsum runs down the west side of Beech Hill, and eventually joins the Ashuelot River in Keene. This brook supplied the power for the first mills and factories for the township in 1736. In 1868 the Cheshire Chair Company, and, shortly after, the Keene Furniture Company were moved to mill sites along Beaver Brook. Still later, John Humphrey's machine shop also took up residence along the brook, and in 1881, J. Mason Reed moved his box company to the brook from his original place of business in Westport.