Old Mill Site Historic District
The mill site has a history of industrial use since 1661, when Thomas Meekins was granted water rights on the falls, and established a grist mill. He eventually also built a sawmill. Additional mills were built in the early 19th century, including a sawmill which spanned the river. This site was one of Hatfield's major industrial employers in the 19th century. In 1865, the complex was adapted for the production of guns, first by Henry Porter and later by Charles Shattuck. Most of the existing buildings were destroyed in a fire, and Shattuck built the existing mill building in 1881.
The main mill building is a three-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. It is seventeen bays long and six wide, and is capped by a cupola with a pagoda-shaped roof. Its foundation is set partly in the river, with its water power provided through a penstock to a turbine chamber in the basement.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Mill-Prospect Street Historic District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "MACRIS inventory record for Shattuck Gun Factory". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Old Mill Inn". Old Mill Inn. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Old Mill Site Historic District". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 30, 2018.