7 South Stone Mill Drive
7 South Stone Mill Drive is a condominium complex built out of Dedham Granite. Before being converted into residential use in the 1980s, it was a Mother Brook mill that made a variety of products.
History
The building is located at the fourth privilege on Mother Brook and was used to make a variety of products in the 19th century, including copper cents, paper, cotton, wool, carpets, and handkerchiefs. In the 1780s another mill, connected by the same wheel, was constructed on the site to produce wire for the new nation's nascent textile industry. The first mill on this site burned in 1809, but was rebuilt with a new raceway and foundation.The second mill began producing nails in 1814, and five years later its owner, Ruggles Whiting of Boston, sold it to the owner of the first mill, George Bird, who began using the whole site to manufacture paper. In 1823 it switched to cotton, using the machinery of the former Norfolk Cotton Company. In 1835 a new stone mill was erected. It stands today, and was converted into a condominium complex in 1986–87. Unlike the other mills, which were constructed in a strictly utilitarian style, this factory boasted a date stone reading "1835" and a dome-roofed cupola over the mill bell. Together they stood as a testament to the primacy of the mills in the neighborhood.
The mill at the fourth privilege, under the ownership of Bussey and with his agent, George H. Kuhn, was among the first to install water-powered broad looms. The looms enabled raw wool to enter the mills, be spun into thread, and then weaved into finished fabric, all under a single roof.
Fires
During the lunch break at the Cochrane Mill, a fire broke out on April 4, 1911 that quickly engulfed the mill. There were 25 employees inside, including one who was taking a nap.Another fire broke out in the mill on May 2, 1984. This time, the mill was owned by the United Waste Company.
Chronological chart
| Year | Owner | Manager | Product | Notes | Image |
| 1832 | John Lemist and Ezra W. Taft | In 1835, the stone mill which now stands upon the site was erected using Dedham Granite and was supplied with new machinery for the manufacture of cotton goods. The original building stood three stories high and measured 100' long by 40' wide. It had a gable roof with a clerestory monitor that brought light into the attic. The stone bell tower was capped with columns supporting a domed cupola. The Corporation prospered under Mr Taft's management. By the middle of the century it was producing 650,000 yards of cotton a year. Ezra W. Taft continued to be the agent and manager of the corporation for about 30 years. An unused building nearby was used by Edward Holmes and Thomas Dunbar beginning in 1846 for their wheelwright business using steam power. Taft's paper mill mill burned on July 17, 1846. | - | - | |
| ~1835 | James Reed and Ezra W. Taft | In 1835, the stone mill which now stands upon the site was erected using Dedham Granite and was supplied with new machinery for the manufacture of cotton goods. The original building stood three stories high and measured 100' long by 40' wide. It had a gable roof with a clerestory monitor that brought light into the attic. The stone bell tower was capped with columns supporting a domed cupola. The Corporation prospered under Mr Taft's management. By the middle of the century it was producing 650,000 yards of cotton a year. Ezra W. Taft continued to be the agent and manager of the corporation for about 30 years. An unused building nearby was used by Edward Holmes and Thomas Dunbar beginning in 1846 for their wheelwright business using steam power. Taft's paper mill mill burned on July 17, 1846. | - | - | |
| 1863 | Thomas Barrows | Wool | Barrows enlarged the mill and installed turbines and a steam engine. | ||
| 1872 | Merchants Woolen Company | Wool | |||
| 1875 | Royal O. Storrs and Frederick R. Storrs | Wool | Went out of business | ||
| 1882 | Merchants Woolen Company | Wool | |||
| 1894 | J. Eugene Cochrane | Carpets and handkerchiefs | Third and fourth privileges under common ownership | ||
| 1897 | Cochrane Manufacturing Company | Norfolk Mills | Carpets and handkerchiefs | Third and fourth privileges under common ownership | |
| After 1917 | Closed | ||||
| Before 1927 | United Waste Company | Wool, reclaimed fabric, and cloth recycling | This was the final industrial use of the property. | ||
| 1930s | United Waste Company | Shoddy wool | This was the final industrial use of the property. | ||
| 1986 | Bergmeyer Development Co. | Re-purposed for 86 condominiums | Purchase price was $1.6 million. A 25' waterfall runs through the complex. Fires burned various sections of the complex in the 1980s. | ||
| Present day | Stone Mill Condominiums |