The first mills that were started in early American settlements
were sawmills, which supplied the local community with lumber
for homes and barns. Early sawmills were often built by
waterfalls, which supplied the power to operate the mill. The
Spofford sawmill dates to the days when nearly everything --
from home to household goods -- was made of wood. The original
water-powered sawmill was built in the late 1600s by either John
or Abner The sawmill supplied lumber to the community to build
houses, barns, shops and maybe even ships that crossed the
Atlantic Ocean. The sawmill remained in the Spofford family for
over 200 years until the mid-1800s. Although sawmills like this
one started to decline in the United States, local farmers who
needed lumber most likely helped the Spofford Sawmill stay in
business. The sawmill was designed by E.J. Cutler in 1929 to
house sawmill machinery Henry Ford had purchased from Ida L.
Morse of Georgetown, Massachusettes, in 1925. The sawmill was
constructed in Greenfield Villag