A mill dam was first built on this site in 1746. About 1799, William White, Sr. built a stone water-powered cotton mill for himself and three of his sons, Phineas, William and Benjamin. That mill, one of the earliest in the country, burned down around 1830. It was rebuilt in 1831, burned again around 1854, and finally converted to a sawmill whose last operator was James B. Hamlin. The White family still owns the property.