Stony Brook-Factory Village Historic District

Stony Brook and its Factory Village form a compact district of about 85 acres in western Brewster, near the Dennis line. A strong water privilege, a 26-foot drop from pond to sea, drew mills to the brook from the late 17th century. Over time the valley held fulling, grist, woolen, cotton and paper mills and a tannery, with dwellings on the surrounding hills. Much of the site was controlled by the Winslow family. Today the 1873 Old Grist Mill is the only surviving mill building, joined by earlier foundations, dams, raceways and fish ladders. Historic houses from the early 18th to late 19th centuries, stone walls, barns and the early 18th-century Dillingham Cemetery complete the setting. The town set aside the mill sites for public use in 1940. The district was recognized as one of the largest and most complete industrial villages in Barnstable County, with a period of significance from about 1661 to 1948.