A sawmill, dam, and gristmill were built here in 1825 by John Hersey, one of the first settlers in the county and a founder of the nearby villages of Rochester and Stony Creek. From 1870 to 1920, Joseph Winkler operated this mill. In 1880 alone, Winkler ground 2,504 barrels of wheat and some 694,000 pounds of cornmeal, feed, and buckwheat flour.