Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-07-06
The First Saw Mill.
williams River, a Mile Below Rock
IuUham station.


ship of Rockingham has always been a
matter of much speculation, and variety of
opinions. Some of the older residents
have claimed 1t to have been near the
mouth of Saxtons river, while the more
generally accepted site has been at what is
known as Brockway's Mills on the Will
Jams river. A recent historical article in
a souvenir edition of the Bellows Falls
Times placed it at Brockway's Mills.
Careful investigation convinces the
writer that neither of the locations is the
correct one, but that it was located on the
Williams river about a mile below Rock
ingham station, and half mile above the
bridge over the river on the Springfield
road. 1t is near the mouth of what is
known as "Hinds" brook, on the north
side of the river.
There was probably not much of dam
in theriver, the water being brought to
the wheel by a canal, the remains of
which, and the timbers upon which the
wheels rested still being disceInable. Fur
Their up the bank and but short distance
from it, are the cellar holes and founda-
ton walls of what was probably the old
miller's dwelling and barn. Lying upon
the river bank few feet from the loca-
ton of the mill is the best monument to
mark its historic uses, a large mill stone
nearly sunken into the SOIL through the
hole in the centre of which at the present
time wood chuck gains entrance to its
home. There is no road now used in the
vicinity and few passers by the spot in late
years have understood its history.
The land in that vicinity is now owned
by John L. Divoll, and is a part of "the
18th lott in the sixth range of the original
surveys of the the township when it was
divided between the original "proprietors'
of the town.
The record of the first town meeting
still in a good state of preservation, is in
the town clerks Office 1t shows the fol-
lowing:
"Province of New Hampshire
Att Legal meeting of the Pro-
prietors of Rockingham, Held al
the house of Mr.. Mical Lowell In
Sd Rockingham on the seventeenth
day of July, A. d. 1760-(seven
other articles of the warrant were
taken up and then, 18th.
Voted that Mical Lowell have
ninety acres of Land set Of by a
Committee Chosen for that pur-
pose WHARF Sd Lowell has begun
to Build mill upon Conditions
that Sd Lowell Build and keep In
good Repairs for the space of if
teen years from sd date hereof,
good Saw mill, and Saw for the
Proprietors of sd town Ship att
the rate of the one-half of the
Price of merchantable Boards att
sd mill, or for the one half of Sd
Boards, att the Chose of the Pro-
prietors. Voted, that Messrs
Benjamin Bellows, Joel Matthews,
Moses Wright, Samuel Bur and
Thomas Stebins be a committee
to Set of Said Land and to be done
by the last of October next"
At the next recorded meeting, held in
August 1901, it was,-
"Voted, that Mical Lowell have
the 18th. Lott In the six Range
for his Encouragement for Build
ing saw mill In said town, and
Said Lowell is to give Bond to
the Proprietors Treasurer for the
faithful compliance of the former
Vote about Said MILL"
The "Mical LOWELL was one of the
progenitors of the families of Lowell" still |
residing here, although at that time spelled
differently in the records. This mill in
that location Is frequently referred to in
the town records, Mr.. Lowell" having
more or less difficulty in after years and
being assisted in keeping his mill "In
good repairs" by various votes of the
"Proprietors." The records show that
later on he added stones for grinding grain,
one of which is probably the one still ly-
ing there and making an interesting his
torical spot of our town.
1t is uncertain whether the "house of
Mical Lowell" where the first town
meeting was held, was that of which the
remains are still seen near the mill or not,
but probably the miller lived there, GER
tainly in later years.
A few years after the mill was built in
1902 it became the property of Col. Benja-
min Bellows of Walpole, and Sept p,
l772, he sold it to Peter Evans of Rocking
ham.
May 2l 1906, Peter Evans sold it to
William Hall, jr., of the Bellows Falls
mermantile firm of Hall & Goodridge, for
$1,000, the town record describing the pur-
chase as 40 IA acres, including water
power, dwelling houses, saw mill and grist
mill with three run of stones, mill yard
and dam"
The Bellows Falls Intelligence, of March
81, 1917, contained the account of its
destruction by fire as follows "The mill
standing near the mouth of Williams river,
owned by Hon. William Hall, jr., was
burned to the ground March "a, with loss
of $2500, including -four and grain"
March 8, 1918, William Hall, jr., sold to
James HazeltOn, jr., some 10 II acres of
land "where saw and grist mill lately
stood"
The mills were rebuilt, evidently in diff
ferent form, as on March II, 1881, j. Haz-
elton, jr., sold the land to Eli Evans for
$3.50 with this reservation, always ex-
ceptlng the mills, dye house, dam and mill
privilege, and the land on which said mills,
dye house and dam stand"
This last record being of comparatively
recent date, we have endeavored to learn
of some one who remembers them, or what
became of them, but have been unable to
do so. Only the decaying timbers and soli-
tary old mill stone remain to mark the
spot