Have you ever wondered how our forefathers powered industrial expansion in rural New England?
We have few landmarks that tell the story, but Leverett is lucky to have one such beloved icon. With your help we can let it tell us its secrets, triumphs, and disappointments, and how it can be a bellwether for the future.
With the donation of a nearly three-hundred-year-old sawmill property and the land surrounding it, Friends of the North Leverett Sawmill was formed for charitable purposes to rehabilitate this historic 1774 mill and turn it into an industrial heritage and technology museum.
Our newly created heritage park and nature trail weaves along the Sawmill River, incorporating several nearby archeological ruins and mill structures. Interpretative signage describes the park’s flora and fauna, and the site’s role in the region’s agricultural and industrial history. Once rehabilitated, the sawmill building will provide additional opportunities for visitors to learn about industrial New England from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries.
Throughout America, people are losing important barometers of their past. We are lucky to have a community that treasures and wants to understand and document our past: in a recent survey about half of Leverett households wished to save our historic buildings. Our contribution to this vision begins with the most iconic, the Sawmill at the junction of North Leverett and Cave Hill roads along the meandering Sawmill River.
The sawmill was featured in this virtual program presented in 2021 by the Leverett Historical Commission and Leverett Historical Commission. One of a series about Leverett’s industrial history, the program was made possible with funding from the Leverett Community Preservation Committee.
“I think the sawmill should be preserved indefinitely, as it is unique, and together with the Baptist Church properties gives a special flavor to North Leverett center. If it were torn down or collapsed, the character of the village would be lost forever.”
— Quote from the Historic Assets Survey recorded between 11/29/2017 and 4/3/2018
With your help, we can build a stronger sense of community through walking the ruins and enjoying the terrain that tells part of Leverett’s story.
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Your stories, photos, and information about the mill and Leverett’s industrial heritage are welcome.
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Your tax-deductible donation will help preserve this important historic site.