Second Sawin Gristmill, Broadmoor Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA - Water Mills on Waymarking.com

In Natick, within the Broadmoor Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, is a stone bridge and several stone supported embankments surrounding a brook.

The sanctuary entrance is located along MA Route 16, about a half mile southwest of the center of South Natick. After parking and paying a fee if you are not a member of Massachusetts Audubon, or showing your membership card if you are a member - and taking a map - follow the appropriate path across two boardwalks to a waterfall, then follow the brook to an intersection with another trail. Turn right to the bridge a short distance down. There are paths on either side to view the foundations.

The bridge is wide and has stone railings on both sides. The upstream side has a small opening where the water falls into. The water the flows under the bridge and comes out the other side at a height and falls freely below into a pool where the brook continues to flow. On either side of the brook is a stone wall.

It is difficult to make out the actual foundation to the gristmill. Perhaps it was built over the brook and the wheel was interal. Perhaps the landscape has drastically changed since the mill. The bridge itself looks pretty elaborate.

According to Trails.com for Broadmoor Sanctuary, a gristmill was built here in 1690 by Thomas Sawin - which coincides with the conversation I had with a person at the Natick Historical Society up the street. This was the second mill built by Thomas Sawin. The first was buit on a tributary of the Charles River [some sources say that it was on the Charles River, but the person at the Natick Historical Society disputes this] at the request of the local Native American village here (the first, largest, and last of Rev. John Eliot's "Praying Indian Towns"). Sawin was probably the first white settler of Natick and was also probably the first to built a mill in nearby Sherborn. Unfortunately, none of the sources say when activity stopped at this mill.

So, there's what I know about this site.

Sources:

Trails.com (Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary):
(visit link)

Patch.com (Three Centuries and Eleven Generations):
(visit link)

Google (Books) (A History of Natick):
(visit link)

Massachusetts Audubon (Broadmoor Sanctuary):
(visit link)

Current Status: Ruin Current Use: Not listed

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