It is set on a plateau of the flood plain of the Ottauquechee River, which flows easterly on the south side of the property, and served as the mill's original power source.

The central portion of the mill is a three-story wood-frame building, with a gabled roof topped by a square cupola with Greek Revival pilasters at its corners.

[2] The history of industrial use of this site begins in 1786, when Richard and Isaac Southgate dammed the river and built a sawmill and gristmill.

The mill failed due to the Great Depression in the 1930s, but reopened in 1940 after reorganizing.

The property was acquired by a local citizens' group,[2] which transformed the mill into the shopping complex it is today.