On Jan. 5, 1687, the town of Newbury appointed a committee "to treat with Peter Cheney about setting up a corne mill and a fulling mill." On Feb. 15, 1687 the town granted to Cheney "fifty acres of land on the Falls river on condition that he build a corn or grist mill within two years and a fulling mill within three years, at the upper falls."

Six years later Cheney sold "one half the saw mill yard on the south side of the Falls river, which is the one half on which said saw mill is lately built and stands near my corn mill" to his son, Peter Cheney Jr. (Essex Deeds, 18:22). On Dec. 30, 1696 Peter Cheney Jr. sold his interest in the property to Francis Wainwright (Essex Deeds 11:238) who in turn sold it to Benjamin Pearson on April 2, 1705 (Essex Deeds 45:216).

On Aug. 10, 1709, Benjamin Pearson purchased 24 acres from the descendants of Peter Cheney "on ye southerly side of the Falls River, bounded easterly by a tract of land which was formerly given by ye said Peter Cheney, deceased as aforesaid to his son Peter Cheney.. and southerly and westerly by ye common land of Newbury, northerly by ye saw mill yard and Falls River" (Essex Deeds 25:36). It is believed that soon after this date, Benjamin Pearson built the house which is still standing near the present mill.

In his will which was dated March 10, 1729-30, Benjamin Pearson gave to his son Benjamin Pearson "all the lands I bought of Major Francis Wainwright and ye Cheneys and also my dwelling house and my mills, goods, stock, working tools and all appurtenances belonging to ye clothier's trade as it is situate on the south side of ye Falls river and bounded as by my deed which I had of Major Francis Wainwright, and also the right of ye stream of water for said mills."

The following information is from the Historic American Engineering Record inventory:

The present mill was originally a sawmill which was constructed around 1830. Around 1860 the mill was converted to snuff productiong. There are four main buildings, the oldest being the converted sawmill which has been expanded are remodeled several times. The other buildings are the shipping and office building, and two tobacco storage sheds. 

The mill is of wood construction (50'x50') and is powered by three turbines. One is a horizontal turbine of unknown make which drives a DC generator that provided electricity for the mill. The other two turbines are Holyoke Machine Co. Hercules vertical wheels, each 36" in diameter. The tobacco grinding machinery and bolters date from the years 1860-1890. The dam, which produces a fall of 11 feet, and the penstocks were rebuilt in 1906.

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