Situated on the Winnipesaukee River, Tilton was a prime location for a variety of mills in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. During the height of its mill manufacturing period, products made in Tilton included children's hosiery, cotton yarn, ladies shoes, wollen goods, leather goods, machinery belts, and the world famous Tilton Tweeds. The power of the Winnipesaukee River and the village's proximity to the railroad allowed manufacturing to flourish there. The site later known as Tilton Riverfront Park was once home to a very prosperous mill known by many as the Pilsbury Mill. Originally built in 1868 and called the Winnisquam Mill, it was first used to manufacture cotton. Later owners used it to manufacture ladies shoes, wollen goods, and finally leather items, with its most recent incarnation as the Tilton Leather Mill. Before its demolition, it was called the best surviving nineteenth century wollen factory in the state.