[2] The buildings, made chiefly of brick and fieldstone, occupied portions of a 20-acre (81,000 m2 ) site.

They were constructed beginning in 1853 and enlarged periodically as the business of manufacturing iron-based parts and machinery expanded.

In 1973, although the buildings had been converted to other uses, they remained intact and that year were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

[3] In 1995, a major fire destroyed the machine shop, damaged parts of other buildings, and stopped further activity in the balance of the site.

After 2000, real estate developers purchased the former industrial site and converted the buildings into commercial and residential uses.