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Hooray! We are happy to be back!
The Needham History Center & Museum will reopen to the public on September 14th.
For the time being, our staff time is limited, so we are asking you to make an appointment, so we can make sure
someone is here to help you when you visit. For updated information, please see
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The mill and falls in 1888, in a photo by the Holmes Brothers. At this time, the mill was a paper mill known as Waban Mills and owned by Eugene H. Sampson. These buildings burned down in 1893.
Village Falls Park
Charles River Village - I think the residents of that part of town still use the term, but for most of us it doesn't ring a bell. (That is a very obscure pun). Charles River Village is the section of town at the end of Central Avenue beyond Pine Street - Charles River Street, South Street, Wilson Lane, Fisher Street, Walker Lane, etc. It has always been part of Needham, but it had its own local identity. Because it was so remote from the rest of town, it had its own Post Office and General Store, its own train station (now part of the rail trail), its own school, and its own fire alarm/school bell (*bingo!) But all of these are stories for another time.
Although Charles River Village was mostly farmland, it was also a small outpost of industry. At the very southern end of South Street, just before you cross Newell's Bridge into Dover, is a small DCR park called Village Falls, but known to the locals as Cochrane's Dam. The park is a broad sloping lawn that leads down to the Charles River; in the river is a small artificial falls that tells of centuries of manufacturing on that site.
The Charles has always been a challenge to use as a source of mill power because it is so sluggish. If you look over the other side of Newell's Bridge, you see a widening in the river known as Red Wing Bay, so stagnant that it often looks more like a lake than a river. The solution for generating water speed - at Cochrane's Dam, as well as at the Upper and Lower Falls - was to enhance a natural falls or slope by adding a mill dam to increase its height.
The original mill dam on this site was built in 1675 by Joshua and Daniel Fisher, whose land lay along that section of the river. It is not known how they used this early dam, but by 1755 the Fisher family had built a grist mill on the site. The grist mill was where grain was ground into flour, and was an essential part of any farming village. The grindstones were powered by a water wheel that was turned by the river currents. The miller received a portion of the milled flour as the fee for his service. This site shows up as "Fisher's Mill" on the 1771 Barachaiah Mason map of Needham, which is the earliest extant map of the town. There was also a grist mill in Lower Falls.
The grist mill lasted into the 1770s or later, but in 1795 the mill became a paper mill belonging to George Bird. George Bird was born in Maine, and apprenticed at a paper mill in Milton, MA. When ready to go into business for himself, he moved to Needham and converted the grist mill to make both fine paper and newsprint. In 1803 he moved his business to Dedham to make banknote paper under government contract. His descendants moved the company to Walpole, where it lived on as Bird & Sons (Bird Machine Co.), making variety of machinery, building products, and papers until it was sold off and closed in 2004.
The mill continued on as a paper mill under various owners until 1862. It was expanded and new machinery installed by proprietors Goss & Russell in 1853. It appears on the 1856 Henry Walling map of Needham as the Goss & Russell Paper Mill. From 1803 to 1862, the mill mostly manufactured coarse brown paper used for wrapping. During this period, around 1828, the old dam was in poor condition and had to be rebuilt.
In 1862, William Ward bought the mill and turned it into a shoddy mill. "Shoddy" was a type of low-grade textile made by shredding and reusing the fibers from other discarded textiles. During the Civil War, shoddy was often (and improperly) used to make Union uniforms. Vendors were supposed to supply the government with higher-quality textiles, but often got away with selling shoddy for the higher price. The uniforms wore out and tore easily, and the use of the term "shoddy" to mean "cheaply and badly made" dates to the Civil War.
The shoddy mill burned down in the 1870s, and was rebuilt as a paper mill, with more modern equipment for making better-quality papers. It continued as a paper mill under several owners until 1893, when it again burned to the ground.
Over the next 50 years, the rebuilt mill would serve a number of industries. From 1917 to 1922, the Needham Tire Company employed 100 people to make overshoes and shoe heels from reclaimed rubber tires. In the 1920s, it was the site of the Charles River Bleaching & Print Works, owned by J. Eugene Cochrane & Sons - and this is the name that stuck. Its last owner was the Charles River Textile Company, which made woolen "nubs and slugs" - the tiny balls of wool that give tweed its texture (who knew?). By 1950, the mill was no longer in use, and was deteriorating through a combination of abandonment and vandalism. At this point the neighborhood stepped in. The Village had become more populous and residential over its many years, and the Charles River Village Neighborhood Association was formed to protect the neighborhood from further industrialization.
The site languished for nearly twenty years, until a new owner purchased it with the aim of rezoning for a condominium development. The town rejected the rezoning request, and also a subsequent request to use the site as an office park. The Metropolitan District Commission (now the MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation) stepped in (possibly with the encouragement of the Needham Conservation Commission) to purchase the property and establish a public park. The buildings were demolished in 1972 and 1973, and the site cleared and graded to make the Village Falls Park.
The dam site is now quiet, except for the sounds of the river and the birds that congregate along its banks. The debris was carted away, and the site leveled; the mown grass is interspersed with native plants allowed to grow wild, and a few benches on which to sit and enjoy its peace. The old dam was repaired again in 1997 to form part of the river's flood-management system. After almost 300 years of industry, the dam is the only visible evidence of all those years of production and innovation. Though I'm told that, beneath the dark water along the riverbank, the old turbine and buckets lie quietly as reminders of this industrious time.
*That bell was given to the Historical Society in 1949, and sat in the front yard of our house ever since. This spring, we loaned it to the Needham Fire Department to install as an exhibit in the new Heights Fire Station.
The abandoned Charles River Textile Company in 1964. This mill and chimney were built after the fire in 1893, and also housed a rubber company and a bleaching mill. They were demolished in 1973 to form the current park.
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Calendar and Events
Our first events of the season are coming up! Join us (via Zoom) - Registration is free and open to all.
September 22 (Tuesday) at 1:00 pm - Women's Suffrage in Needham
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center.
August 18, 2020 was the centennial anniversary of ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. There has been a lot of discussion this year to hear about the national and statewide efforts to achieve women's suffrage - but this talk is an opportunity to look at how Needham responded to the national debate, and how our citizens and our leaders, and even a few surprising allies, took part.
October 18 (Sunday) at 2:00 pm - Quack or Fact?
The Grounded Goodwives.
The history of medicine is filled with stories of strange tonics, outlandish remedies, and curious "cures." Toads, snails, mashed potatoes, mandrake, and bear grease were commonly prescribed. While some of these ingredients sound crazy, there's logic behind many of them! For instance, snake oil hasn't always been just a euphemism for quack medical treatments. For centuries, oil from the Chinese water snake was an actual treatment used in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve joint pain. Today, we know that snakes are a rich source of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid containing anti-inflammatory properties. Join Ehris and Velya for a funny and factual exploration of colonial "quackery."
October 20 (Tuesday) at 1:00 pm - The Fuller Bird Journals
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center.
Timothy Otis Fuller (1845-1916) was a self-taught naturalist, who spent years studying the plants and birds of Needham. Fuller's observations of Needham's birds were kept in field journals, illustrated with his finely-detailed watercolor paintings. The Needham History Center owns Fuller's bird journals, dating from 1904 through 1912. In these, he recorded detailed comparisons, notes on habitats, and an annual census. He created a priceless record that is not only beautiful, but can be compared to current data, to evaluate the changes in local climate over the last 100 years.
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Coming Together in Times of Need
The Needham History Center welcomes Blue Lotus Healing Arts and Barre 3 to our yard!
When you drive by, you might notice people working out in our yard. Both Blue Lotus and Barre 3 were in need of space to hold classes that was large enough to provide proper safe distancing. Our lawn was available, and we were happy to let them use it. So check out some outdoor exercise classes while the weather is still nice! Call Margaret at Blue Lotus
And Blue Lotus has a special offer!
Needham History Center members can try an outdoor yoga class for 50% off the usual price. Blue Lotus clients who donate $30+ or become members of the Needham History Center can also try a class for 50% off.
As we plan our "new normal," we are uplifted and enriched by the company of new friends and partners!
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With less than 100 days to go until the end of the year, we all need to do our part to save the small businesses we love.
That's why the Newton-Needham Chamber's Needham Business Alliance, Traktek Partners, the Town of Needham and many community members have created the "Needham 100 Day Challenge," a program designed to to promote and support our businesses and restaurants for the remainder of 2020.
Our merchants and restaurants have been there for us in so many ways - supporting our nonprofit fundraisers and sports teams, employing our students and residents, helping to find that perfect gift and making so many family dinners and celebrations extra special. They are what make our community unique --- and they need our help more than ever. So, let's step up and Shop Local/Dine Local to save Needham businesses.
Put your money where your heart is: Right here in Needham! Support the Businesses that Support All of Us!
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Our Gift Shop is open for mail orders of NDM hats and apparel, books, DVDs, ornaments, and souvenirs.
Click HERE for more information.
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Stay Safe and Stay Informed!
Needham social service providers have convened to centralize information and resources. Get Connected Needham is a resource list that includes supports for residents of all ages and income levels and is intended to more easily connect individuals and families to services they may need during this time.
The Town of Needham has posted a website to coordinate the COVID-19 response, at www.needhamma.gov/coronavirus. The site provides frequent updates on the status of COVID-19 in Needham, and on any recommendations and restrictions that have been made. |
We thank our Corporate Sponsors
for their generous and ongoing support!
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Lead Sponsor - The Needham Bank
Program Sponsor - North Hill Exhibits Sponsor - BID-Needham
The Dedham Inst. for Savings . The Middlesex Bank
Louise Condon Realty . Petrini Corporation . The Vita Needle Company
The Needham Women's Club . JC Timmerman, Inc.
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