The Oldest Continuously Operating Mill Site in the United States. 

When people visit the Old Schwamb Mill in Arlington, MA for the first time, they are often amazed when they step inside- it’s indeed a workplace from another century. The smell of decades of birch, bass wood, and black walnut, the sight of period tools resting on a polished workbench, and the gentle sound of belt-driven lathes immediately transport young and old to America’s industrial age.

Forty-five minute tours of the main building’s first and second floor are available by a museum staff member on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Some highlights: In the original office, you can view an 1898 roll top desk, a “hidden” closet door and a substantial 1905 safe. Visitors can also encounter a rare and remarkable sight: a very intact Civil War-era shop floor that contains multiple generations of tools and machines. Upstairs, you’ll see the glue room, admire examples of finished frames in the frame showroom, and enjoy a temporary art show or historical exhibit in our galleries.

Old Schwamb Mill has a unique history. Charles Schwamb emigrated from Germany in the 1840s, one of six Schwamb brothers who came to America between 1837 and 1857. The brothers brought wood working skills and the ability to adapt and thrive in towns dominated by the descendants of English settlers. After working for years with his brothers, Charles and his brother Frederick bought the mill in 1864 and commenced the manufacture of oval picture frames. The Charles Schwamb business sold picture frames and linear moulding to frame shops and galleries throughout the northeast, including in the cities of Boston and New York. For the next century this Mill, along with two other Schwamb manufacturing concerns, were major sites of commerce and employment in Arlington.

When fourth-generation owner Elmer Schwamb retired in 1969, Patricia Cunningham Fitzmaurice, a visionary local community activist/preservationist, saved the Mill from almost certain destruction. She raised both awareness of its historical value and the funds needed to secure the property. She brought together a group of remarkable, civic-minded citizens to form the Schwamb Mill Preservation Trust. Within six months, she and the Trust had founded the Old Schwamb Mill as an  industrial museum a decade before the Lowell National Historical Park, allowing generations of visitors to experience the small family-run factories that once covered nineteenth and twentieth-century New England.

Today, the Mill’s customers include museums, frame shops, and architectural and interior design firms as well as individuals looking for fine-crafted frames that will display family portraits, photos, artwork, or mirrors. The hand-turned frames are constructed from solid hardwoods such as black walnut, maple, cherry, mahogany and zebrawood.

The Old Schwamb Mill maintains a schedule of events that make visiting the Mill a regular occurrence for its many friends. In its second-floor gallery, the Mill offers various shows throughout the year by local painters, photographers, collagists, and sculptors, plus one show with a focus on the Mill’s own history. Frequent lectures, including an annual Frame Lecture, give visitors another chance to experience the Mill’s beautiful interior.

There is also a summer music series, as well as children’s programs including storytelling, crafts, music and a puppet show. Two signature events include the Mill’s annual outdoor Oktoberfest on the first Saturday in October, as well as a holiday craft fair in November.

The Old Schwamb Mill is located at 17 Mill Lane in Arlington, just off the bike path. Those who are interested can donate, and receive updates to find out about the latest happenings.

If you’re hungry, be sure to head over to The Roasted Granola for a cup of coffee and a treat. Or you can grab a slice of pizza at Andrina’s. You could also stop by for a drink or dinner at The Heights Pub or Jimmy’s Steer House.

 

 

OCTOBER 23rd 

ART & MUSIC at Mill Pond Park

October 23, 1 – 4 PM

Mill Pond Park at Old Schwamb Mill | 17 Mill Lane | Arlington MA

New England Sculptors Association (NESA) has partnered with the Old Schwamb Mill and the Town of Arlington to present  an outdoor sculpture exhibition at Mill Pond Park.

The Mill will host a reception from 1:00 – 2:30 PM. Come meet the artists and enjoy a concert that will follow from 2:30 – 4:00 PM by FOGGY MOUNTAIN CONSORT, a Renaissance/Blue Grass Band. http://foggymountainconsort.com/

The installation of six juried pieces that are available for purchase can be enjoyed through the middle of November. The participating artists’ sculptures on view are:

Mid-Century Modern Heart by Cassie Doyon

Weedy Sea Dragon by Cassie Doyon

My Love by Memy Ish Shalom

Cat by Marin Murakoski

Colliding Worlds by R. Douglass Rice

Dragoon by Dan Rocha

ABOUT NESA

New England Sculptors Association (NESA), est. 1948, supports established and emerging sculptors in achieving their highest potential and in connecting with fellow artists, curators, and collectors. Together with our partners, we promote excellence in sculptural art and seek to inform, educate, and inspire the public throughout New England and beyond. 

http://nesculptors.org

ABOUT OLD SCHWAMB MILL

The Old Schwamb Mill is the oldest continuously operating mill site in the U.S where guided tours are available as well as demonstrations of frame-turning on original 19th-century lathes, still used today to create handmade oval and circular frames. The Mill presents a calendar of events held throughout the year, including gallery and park exhibits, musical performances, lectures and special events.

Also at the Mill…

‘3 Views of a Secret’

Three Views of a Secret

“Three Views of a Secret” is currently on display in the mill’s gallery. It features nature-inspired paintings and sculptures from Arlington artists Gwen Chasan and Dan Cianfarini and Lexington-based Bill Cohn.

The collection showcases Gwen’s tantalizing watercolor and acrylic paintings of birds’ nests, landscapes and botanicals, Dan’s haunting watercolors of New England and international landscapes and structures, and Bill’s other-worldly “industrial-organic” ceramic sculptures. Each artist’s interpretation of the visible world is an affirmation of life, a welcome therapy as we emerge from the global pandemic.

Cianfarini, is an artist who paints exclusively in watercolors, focusing on representational landscapes that often include architectural or other man-made elements to suggest human presence or the passage of time. He is also drawn to certain aspects of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, specifically its search for beauty in the natural cycle of growth and decay.

Since beginning to paint about 20 years ago, he has studied painting and drawing with instructors in the greater Boston area, Maine, and Italy and has participated in several solo exhibitions as well as numerous group exhibitions. His most recent work can be seen at www.danswatercolors.com.

Cohn is a Lexington-based ceramic artist and sculptor. Working in clay, rock, and wood, his unique “Industrial/Organic” themed sculptures have been described as evoking feelings of “being in the New England woods or on a foreign planet all at the same time.” Bill’s work enriches landscapes, gardens, atria and homes. His pieces have been featured in solo, two-person, and juried group shows. Bill has been a studio owner at Artspace in Maynard MA since 2000, and his work can be seen at www.billcohnart.com and on Instagram@cohnbill18.

Chasan is an Arlington artist who creates watercolor and acrylic paintings inspired by the beauty and mystery of the natural world. Her work bridges realism and expressionism as she is drawn to expressing the inner world and emotions evoked by what we see around us. Gwen loves to experiment with new materials and approaches to making marks and images. She has studied drawing and painting with artists in the Boston area, Italy and Greece. Her work has been included in solo and juried exhibitions locally and regionally. She paints in her Arlington studio and teaches workshops in Massachusetts. Her work can be seen at www.gwenchasan.com, and on Instagram @gwen_chasan_art.

These works will be for sale after the show which ends on November 6.