United States

Nashoba Brook Pencil Factory Site

19th-century pencil mill ruins, Acton, Massachusetts

Location

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Historical Context

About

The Nashoba Brook Pencil Factory Site contains the ruins of a 19th-century dam-powered pencil factory. This factory was one of several in Acton and Concord, Massachusetts at the time that brought important developments to pencil manufacturing. All that remain today of the factory are the ruins of its dam and a few mechanical components. The site is in the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area in Acton, Massachusetts, along Nashoba Brook and the old Davis Road Dam. Visitors can access the site by following a marked path from the Davis Road parking area for the Nashoba Brook Conservation Area

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

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Ebenezer Wood lifespan

1792–1880

Factory operation period

19th century

William Munroe begins U.S. pencil manufacture

1812

Graphite discovery in New Hampshire

1821

Dunbar invites Thoreau into manufacture

1823

Ebenezer Wood exclusive supply to Thoreau

1830s

Robbins Mill Pond Dam renovation

1990

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Water Management Features

Dams
category

Industrial and Craft Structures

Workshops
category

Transportation and Communication Structures

TrackwaysPaths
Knowledge Base

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Reference

Details

Country

United States

Coordinates

42.51° N, -71.41° E