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Beech River Mill
History
Click here for Mill Photo History
The
Beech River
Mill, located in the historic Smarts’
Mill, in Center Ossipee, New Hampshire was built in the 1800’s. Since the turn
of the century, blinds and shutters have been made on the Victorian-era
shutter-making machinery that we still use today.
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Tenon Machine |
When the Smart family ran the mill, they made
more than 90 types of louvered and paneled items. Roller blinds had moveable
slats and were used primarily on the interior of windows. Blinds for the trains
of the Pullman Company had either three mahogany panels or poplar slats in
cherry frames. Exterior shutters were made with either fixed or moveable slats,
which may have been combined with flat or raised panel on the top. Often, these
panels had cutout decorations - a pine tree, an animal, the initial of the
family’s surname. There are more than 100 such decorative patterns in the shop
today. Other items included decorative blinds for churches and variously shaped
vents for houses, During World War II, the U.S. Army purchased these vents from
the mill for their barracks all over the world. |
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In most cases, the products of the mill were
made from California sugar pines, which was shipped by train right into the
village of Centre Ossipee. During busy production periods, the Smarts used one
train-car load of wood every two weeks.
In 1964, the Smarts retired and sold the mill.
The mill was idle from 1964-1982. In 1982 it was re-established as a premier
custom shutter manufacturer. The current proprietors are Donald and Beverly
Ouellette. Although the name of the business has changed the Smarts’ tradition
of quality craftsmanship continues today with this family-run business.
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Beech River Mill
features a fascinating variety of water-powered equipment
for shutter making. During a visit to the Smithsonian
Institute, we were delighted to stumble upon a step mortiser
identical to ours. These machines are fine examples of
Victorian art and engineering and remain in working order,
The machine pictured is the double-slot mortiser, which made
the slots into which the louvers fit. |
Victorian Era
Mortiser |
Creating slats
and molding applications |
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 Shutters
by
Beech
River Mill
30 Route 16 B Center
Ossipee, New Hampshire 03814
Phone: 603-539-2636
Fax: 603-539-1384
Email:
beechrivermill@verizon.net
We would love your feedback. Send questions or comments about this web site to
drenning@roadrunner.com
Last modified:
06/11/08
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