This stone building was built over 200 years ago by the Fine Family as a Wool Manufactory. For 50 years, wool was spun, carded and woven into blankets at this location. Since then it has served many roles. It housed an edge tool factory in the later part of the 19th century. It was home to a blacksmith and wheel wright shop at the turn of the century. In 1919, the mill was converted for use by a fraternal lodge. Finally in 1951, the mill was transformed into a residence.
In 1751, Samuel Morris built the first log dam at this location to channel the power of the Musconetcong river for his soon to be built Chelsea iron forge.
During its heyday, The Forge Site was a busy one with stone, frame and log dwellings,a saw mill, smith shops, barns, stables and counting houses. It has been documented that the forge was employed in making, among other things, cannon balls for George Washington's army.
Tradition had it that there were religious meetings held near the forge as early as 1786. Baptisms were carried out in the Musconetcong at this site (a practice that continues today). Sermons were preached at Godley's School House, originally located just down the road.
When Phillip and Christopher Fine purchased land on both sides of the river in 1809, The tavern associated with Chelsea Forge was one of the only structures still standing. The Fines built a grist mill where the forge once stood. They also rebuilt the dam, and slowly began building their village. The oil and saw mill soon joined the Grist mill on the south side of the Musconetcong.
On the north side of the river the brothers built a Wool Manufactory as well as other residential buildings and small businesses.
By 1820, The Fine Wool Manufactory employed 6 adults and 4 children. They produced 3400 yards of wool fabric from 2100 pounds of raw wool, both merino and common. The wool was sold locally at general stores, but it was also sent as far away as Bethlehem and Allentown in the Lehigh Valley.
The Manufactory took the wool from "sheep to shawl" using dozens of machines including: 4 Carding Machines, 1 Picking Machine, 3 Spinning Machines, 1 Billey with 50 Spindels, 2 Jimmeys with 60 Spindels each, 3 Narrow Looms, 1 Board Loom, 2 Fulling Stocks 1 Press, and 1 Shearing Machine.
Over the course of the next two decades the village grew. Its name changed several times from Newburgh to Spunktown, but by 1835 it had come to be known as Finesville. In addition to the Mills and tavern, there were 15 dwellings in town. the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists and Christian Society members in town joined together to build the first church at the site where Godley's schoolhouse was.
In 1848, Phillip Fine passed away, the entire town of Finesville was listed for sale giving us a better sense of the village. It included the largest merchant Mill (grist) situated in the County of Hunterdon, with a good corn kiln, an oil mill, plaster mill, cooper shop, wagon house,and sheds. On the northern side in Warren county: the large Woolen Manufactory, two dwelling houses, outbuildings, store house, 13 Building lots, lime kiln, quarry and mansion house.
In 1862, the Grist Mill on the far side of the river was converted into a paper mill by the Warren Manufacturing Company and the Riegel Corporation. In its first year the mill turned out one ton of newspaper daily. The company purchased the Satinette Factory at this time, marking the cessation of wool production.
The paper mill closed down in 1866 and Its operations moved down river to Riegelsville and up river to hughesville. In 1871, the Taylor Stiles company purchased the village and converted both mills into edge tool factories in the manufacture of knives.
This change in ownership resulted in a building boom in Finesville. Three years later there were 38 buildings in town including Warner's General Store. In addition a second Church was built by the Christian Society on land between Finesville and the next village to the east.
In 1881 a February Flood wiped out the old wooden bridge at this site and it was replaced by a new iron structure.
By the 1880s, the building boom had slowed down. Although, Taylor & Stiles were still in business, the old tavern had closed. Finesville still had some thriving businesses. Isaac S. Laubach ran a lime burning business. There were two butcher shops, as well as Baylor's Boot and Shoe Shop. There were also two churches, a good school building and 35 to 41 dwellings.
The Wool Manufactory now housed Jacob Seyler's Wheel Wright Shop and Butler's Blacksmith Shop.
In addition to Warner's store another store was kept by John R. Cyphers. In 1889 a parsonage was built next to the Finesville Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 1896, the iron bridge was once again destroyed by floods and replaced with the steel span bridge which still stands today.
Also in 1905 the downside of having a paper mill upstream in Hughesville was noted in the Milford Leader.
"LAST SUNDAY THE CREEK THAT RUNS THROUGH TOWN WAS COLORED RED FROM THE WASTE OF THE PAPER MILL ABOVE TOWN. WEEKDAYS IT RUNS A CHALKY WHITE, BEING NEITHER FIT FOR CATTLE OR FOR WASHING. THE FISH ONCE SO NUMEROUS IN THE STREAM HAVE ABOUT ALL BEING KILLED OFF BY THE POISONS."
In 1919, the old Wool Manufactory was converted into a lodge for the Improved Order of the Red Men, America’s oldest fraternal organization chartered by congress.
The organization was founded in 1765 as a secret patriotic society working underground to establish freedom and liberty from British rule. Among their many acts was the 1773 Boston Tea Party. The Red Men used the mill for both their lodge meetings and as a community dance hall.
Little historic fabric remains of the industrial components of the wool mill today. The mill race and lower stories were filled in during the early part of the 20th century, and only the top edge of the race and the arched opening through which the waterwheel would have projected are visible. You can also see the shadow of the two story timber frame blacksmith and wheelwright building which used to be attached to the Mill building. It came down in the early part of the 20th century. Inside, there is one gear shaft, which served as part of the power train for the mill.
In 2012, the dam was removed as a part of an initiative to return the river to its natural flow.
When Amy and Doug purchased this house in 1999, it had become quite run down. The stone work was covered in poorly applied modern stucco and it was coming off in sheets. There was a standing seam metal roof and a hodge podge of windows.
They have done a great deal of work to preserve the historic exterior of the mill while creating livable, eclectic interior spaces. The exterior restoration of the mill began in 2000 with the removal of the layers of modern plaster on the structure and the repointing of the fieldstone underneath. The standing seam metal roof was replaced by a period cedar shingle roof a few years later, and all of the windows were replaced with period reproductions in 2008.