Felts Mills is a hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 in the town of Rutland

Rutland, New York

Rutland is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 3,060 at the 2010 census.The Town of Rutland is in the eastern part of the town and is east of Watertown. Rutland is south of Fort Drum.- History :...

 of Jefferson County

Jefferson County, New York

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 116,229. It is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America, and president at the time the county was created in 1805...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 363 at the 2000 census. Felts Mills' original name was Mid Road because it is the halfway point between Watertown

Watertown (city), New York

Watertown is a city in the state of New York and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is situated approximately south of the Thousand Islands. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 27,023, an increase of 1.2% since 2000. The U.S...

 and Carthage

Carthage, New York

Carthage is a village located in the Town of Wilna in Jefferson County, New York. The population was 3,721 at the 2000 census. The village is named after the historic Carthage in North Africa....

.

History

Felts Mills was sited on one of several natural falls on the Black River and first settled with the construction of a grist mill in about 1800.A n improved dam was erected in 1821, and a stone mill in the following year. In 1824, John Felt constructed the large sawmills that gave the town its name. In 1889, the Taggart Paper Company built a large paper mill on an island across the river, ruins of which are still visible today.

External links

• Photos of the extensive remains of the mill ruins and island across from Felts Mills http://oabonny.com/indexpage32.htm http://oabonny.com/indexpage24.htm