{"nrhp_refnum":"78000458","name":"Ware Paper Mill","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2276 Washington St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newton","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.326081790000046,"lon":-71.25465509099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Invention"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A stone and brick former paper mill at 2276 Washington Street in the Lower Falls district of Newton, Massachusetts, beside the Charles River. The original section was built in 1790 by John Ware.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the mill is significant as an early paper mill, built in 1790 and used continuously for papermaking until 1938. It was the first paper mill on the banks of the Charles and reportedly the first in the U.S. to use the Foundriner machine, which made rolls of paper instead of sheets. It is also one of the few surviving fragments of the old Lower Falls mill community.","narrative":"Beside the Charles River in Newton's Lower Falls, this stone mill dates to 1790, when Revolutionary War veteran John Ware bought 14 acres, the dam and the watercourses and built the first paper mill on the river's banks. The original section is 1½ stories of random ashlar rubble with heavy quoins and stone lintels, and a 19th-century brick addition extends to the rear. Paper was made here continuously until 1938. After Ware sold it in 1815, later owners produced about 1½ tons of paper daily, and by the late 19th century the company specialized in bonnet board used to stiffen straw hats. The mill is reported to be the first in the United States to use the Foundriner machine, which produced rolls rather than sheets. Urban renewal removed much of the surrounding village, leaving the mill as one of few survivors. It was altered in 1973, but the basic materials and features remain, and it was judged significant at the local level for its industrial history.","period_of_significance":"1790","architect_builder":"John Ware (original builder)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered considerably in 1973, with the interior stripped; the form marks the building as occupied, and accompanying correspondence describes its adaptation for use as a bank.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.762217-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/7961/63796156/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000458.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000458/9e31e76223-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000458/9e31e76223-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_WarePaperMill.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NewtonMA_WarePaperMill.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796156","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ware_Paper_Mill","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7969251"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/ware-paper-mill-78000458/"}