Roberts Paper Mill
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 21.269 W 071° 15.780
19T E 313622 N 4691615
This location, near the Stony Brook dam, was where a lot of mill activity took place, including a paper mill that was the first to manufacture tarred paper for building purposes, and asbestos paper.
Waymark Code: WM1XD1
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2007
Views: 27
Sign says:
"On this site stood the Roberts Paper Mill, a prominent example of a thriving in Waltham in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One can see the prosperity that the mills generated by visiting Gore Place, Main Street in Waltham.
"The first mill on this site was built by Nathan Upham in 1802. After a succession of owners, the mill was purchased by Stephen Roberts of Waltham in 1834, whose family made a success at the undertaking. Fire destroyed the original mill in 1840.
"The Roberts Paper Mill was constructed shortly after the 1840 fire and featured handsome bronze rubble-stone masonry with corner-stone ... and a pitched slate roof. Portions of the original foundation and masonry remain visible along the edge of the brook as do fragments of the original dam on Stony Brook.
"The Roberts Company was the first in this country to manufacture tarred paper for building purposes. Asbestos paper and fine grade hardware paper were also produced here. Under a variety of ownerships, the mill continued to manufacture paper until well into the twentieth century."
The sign is beside the new bridge across Stony Brook, by an office park building and garage built on the spot. The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) has an entry for this mill that includes black and white pictures of what it used to look like. (
visit link)
Too bad that it's gone.
The web site for Gore Place, mentioned in the text, is below.