Paper manufacturers dominated the Lower Falls of the Charles River throughout the nineteenth century. The evolution of papermaking from a hand process to continuous-sheet machines after 1828 created a new need for the production and repair of equipment for this industry. One of the leading builders of paper machinery in the nation until the turn of the twentieth century ran a machine shop in this 1853 two-and-a-half-story gabled stone mill. Still in use for modern commercial purposes, the mill site has managed to retain much of the character of its original setting, although screened by later office buildings along Walnut Street. The Cordingly Dam, one of two dams harnessing the power from the Lower Falls of the Charles River is located adjacent to the mill; an iron footbridge for employees crosses the river.