Then & Now: Down By The Mill

When Captain William Trask, one of Salem’s original settlers, walked along the banks of the Nahum Keike or Naumkeag River that later was changed to the North River, he saw a wide expanse of water bordered by forests and meadows. 

Walking from what is now North Street toward today’s Boston Street, he would have traced the river’s course through the original forest the first settlers had encountered and subsequently were using for buildings. 

Following the gentle curve of the river, Trask would have turned with the river into a hollow area where forested hills were split by the river. Here, amid the wild flowers and forests, he would encounter the river narrowing and increasing its current. Trask saw what he considered an ideal spot for a grist mill.

The grist mill he had in mind would sit on the river using a water wheel design, popular in England, to harness the power of the river to turn gears so that massive stones could be used to crush grains into flour or meal. He knew the farmers in the area would bring their crops and gladly pay the Miller’s toll, (percentage of grain) required to save them from the intensive labor of pounding grain.

In 1636, William erected a water mill for grinding corn on the river. In 1640, he requested town permission to move the mill further down river. At the same time, Trask added a fulling mill nearby. A fulling mill was a specialized mill that cleansed and thickened wool. This was done through stretching and cleaning the cloth on frames or tenters attached by tenterhooks.  The expression, “hanging on tenterhooks” comes from this process.

They granted permission for the tide mill, but required he provide passage for shallops (boats) from half flood to full sea. With the Court’s approval, that land on what is now Grove Street began to change for all time.

The grist mill prospered for a number of years with Captain Trask’s son, John, taking over the mill. In 1712, John Trask and Joseph Boyce Jr., petitioned to move their mill further along the river to Spooner’s Point, which had a better current. This was agreed to with the provision that they also build and maintain a bridge for use by men and teams.

The grist mill stayed in business for a number of years. While the town grew and prospered, this area saw some development with a few tanners and blacksmiths setting up shop. Most tanneries and businesses at this time were closer to the Common and downtown.

With the successful conclusion of the Revolutionary War and the explosive growth in maritime trade, this area became a focus of ship building.

In 1783 Ebenezer Mann, a ship builder moved from Pembroke to Salem and opened a shipyard near the mill. In response to the great need for ships he built several a year.  

By the time he retired in 1800, his shipyard had built six ships, fifteen brigs, two barques and eighteen schooners. These ships ranged in size from 50 to 214 tons. His work attracted others to the area. Another shipyard nearby was run by Christopher Turner, who, in the same period, built six ships, seven brigs and five schooners. Some 70 ships in all were built here. After Ebenezer Mann retired, Christopher Turner continued producing ships here for several more years until the maritime trade faded.

While the maritime trade faded, manufacturing was growing rapidly. With the reconstruction of the Common and the development of the town, tanneries and businesses were moving further away from downtown and rapidly filling up Grove Street and the adjacent areas along Boston and Goodhue Streets. Because of the development of a whale oil factory producing candles and lantern oil, the area was now being referred to as Blubber Hollow.

This area became home to a large concentration of tanneries and complimentary industries by the 1820s. While the industrialization of the area mirrored Salem’s economy with businesses coming and going, this area remained focused on tanneries for the most part. It appears that Trask’s mill stopped operating sometime during the 1840s. The building was used as a machinist shop for several years until about 1855, when it was sold to a local tanner, Joseph Frye.

Frye operated the mill as a bark grinding mill. Bark grinding takes tree bark and grinds it into a fine powder used in tanning leather. The bark powder, with its natural ingredient of tannin, makes the leather hide more flexible and waterproof. The term tanning comes from this
ingredient.

Frye’s Mill continued to function as a bark grinding mill until Joseph Frye’s death in 1883. During this period, the tanning process was evolving and chemicals were being used in the process instead of bark.

After being empty for a few years, King Upton operated a felting mill here from 1890 to 1897. In 1897 to 1898, The American Hair Felt Company was here. Apparently, this company would use cattle hair to manufacture insulation material. Since felt or thickening was occurring, they probably still used the mill and the North River in their manufacturing.

From 1899 onward, the mill was no longer operating and the address is listed as vacant in city directories until 1904, when D. J. Long operated a machine shop here for few years.

In 1912, Salem Oil and Grease Company built a factory here for the production of oil and grease products for the tanneries. The tanning oils they developed determine the color of the leather produced. From a small shop amidst the tanneries of Blubber Hollow, the Salem Oil and Grease Company grew into an international provider for the tanning industry.  As they grew, their site took on the look of a complex of buildings as seen in these photographs.

In the years between 1874 and 1894, the North River was radically changed as its banks were filled in and the river was channeled into a canal from North Street to Grove Street. The canal extended to the mill and the mill pond before reverting to its natural profile near Harmony Grove.

Throughout the industrialization of Salem, the North River became a dumping ground for all kinds of pollution and trash and rapidly became a source of consternation for residents. This was especially true on warm summer nights when the stench would be wafting throughout North Salem. Many of us may still recall the "What's that smell?" questions.

Thankfully, in recent years major cleanups have occurred, ameliorating most of the river’s issues. There is even the hopeful sign that it has once again become a breeding ground for rainbow smelt.

Unfortunately, the section near the old mill and the factories remains of concern. As the photo shows, there are areas in need of cleaning and reclamation. Salem is fortunate to have the assistance of the Salem Sound Coastal Watch that has been leading the way on monitoring and advocating for the Salem waterways.

Salem Oil & Grease operated for almost 100 years on this site. In 2003, it was acquired by a Netherlands-based corporation and closed. Since then, it has sat dormant and fallen into disrepair. As you can see in the current photo, it has Salem’s scarlet symbol on the
door warning that it is in dangerous shape.

In 2006, the property was acquired by a local group who hope to redevelop the area. During the past few months, they have been meeting with the Salem Conservation Commission to determine the parameters for re-development. You can read more about the issues
being address on the commission’s website. http://www.salem.com/Pages/SalemMA_ConComm/index

While no development plans have been shared yet, we can hope they will be in keeping with the rich industrial and maritime history of this area. Perhaps this will become an archaeological site once they start digging.