In 1720, Jonathan Bliss moved here from South Rehoboth and established a sawmill on the East Branch of the Palmer River with a homestead nearby. This homestead was one of the first in the area, and Bliss called it " my farm in the woods". The mill ruins can still be seen a short distance north of here, and his house stood where the Latham House is presently situated. In the 19th century, Francis H. Carpenter converted the mill into a shingle mill, which he operated until after the Civil War. Williams Street was originally a private lane to the mill.