The oldest mill in Newton, this building represents the once vibrant paper-making industry that existed in Newton Lower Falls for over a century. John Ware, a Revolutionary War veteran who began making paper in this area around 1790, may have built this fieldstone mill in 1811, or the partners who purchased his mill may have built this structure on the earlier building's site in 1816. The Foundriner machine, which allowed paper to be made in rolls rather than sheets, may have been used for the first time in the United States here. The mill continued to make paper until 1938, making it also the longest active paper mill in the area. In 1973, a bank adapted the building for its use, altering the front center entrance and stripping the interior, but preserving the shell of this stone structure of dramatic A shape.