History of the Building

The core of the building that is JP Stephens was built by Asa Cole in 1790. It was one of six mills, most of which produced wooden ware such as butter molds, match blocks, lobster traps, clothes pins & split baskets, built during the late eighteenth century along the stream that runs down from Grassy Pond to Poole Pond. This is the oldest mill still being used as a commercial business in Rindge. If you study the wide floor boards by the wedding ring quilt, you will notice some unusual markings: some say they are hoof marks from horses while others contend they are old ax marks.
Initially the building housed a sawmill, a wood turning mill and a shingle mill. During the 19th century, the building served as a grist mill and a forge. It was again a shingle mill at the end of century, owned by Calvin Allen, who donated the land across the road on which the - West Rindge Methodist Church now stands.
Marcus Cleaves took the shingle mill over at about the turn of the century and turned it into a black smith shop. Many of the older residents tell of coming to the shop when they were children to watch Marcus ply his trade. The hurricane of 1938, followed by the flood of 1939 brought down a phenomenal number of trees, and as the U.S. was gearing up for the war effort, the government was buying up lumber, so Marcus Cleaves put 2 and 2 together and converted his forge and smithing shop back into a sawmill -- the building had come full circle. The pine benches for the Cathedral of the Pines were milled here. It was in 1952 that the building would become an eatery, to be known for the next 42 years as "The Old Forge." Doris Gill opened her tea room and ran it until 1958 when Herb Whitney purchased the property and turned it into a full-service restaurant. He added on the foyer and pub. In 1968 Franz & Joan Berger took over the restaurant, serving a mainly German cuisine. The function room and sun room were added, the pub was enlarged, and the tradition of having ducks in the mill pond was initiated to the delight of young patrons who love to feed them. The Win Hodson family of Mason shepherded the property from 1991 to 1994, improving on the walkway around the pond, the physical plant and exterior bridges and returning to a more "American" menu.
In August, 1994, the current owners: Helen & Lee Kendall and Suanne & Luis Yglesias opened the doors of "Lilly's on the Pond," named for a mermaid who lived on the shore of Mill Pond back in the eighteenth century, before the sawmill was even a thought in Asa Cole's head. The fascinating tale was uncovered by the new owners when, immediately after purchasing the property, they went to the Rindge Historical Society files to do research. They were aided in their task by Clara Seymour, who is a niece of Marcus Cleaves.

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2010 Leon Brassard.