The Old Schwamb Mill in Arlington, Massachusetts, is located on the oldest continuously operating mill site in the United States. Mills have been located on the main building site since the late 1600s. In 1971, the Old Schwamb Mill was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The Mill is located at 17 Mill Lane in Arlington Heights.
The Mill is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $5.00
Lou Jones and the panAFRICAproject
March 21, 2026, to May 16, 2026
Tuesdays and Saturdays, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Lou Jones, “Kenya, 3/25/22”.
The Old Schwamb Mill is proud to host the panAFRICAproject, a compelling photography exhibition by Boston-based photographer Lou Jones. On view from March 21 through May 16, the exhibition opens with a public reception at 2:00 PM on March 21 and concludes with a closing talk and event at 2:00 PM on May 16.
More than a decade in the making, panAFRICAproject is a country-by-country visual documentary that challenges long-standing stereotypes and reframes how Africa is understood in the Western imagination. Rather than focusing on narratives of conflict and poverty, Jones turns his lens toward the vibrancy, innovation, and everyday realities of contemporary African life, highlighting industry, education, healthcare, sports, music, and infrastructure across the continent. The project has grown into an expansive visual archive and educational platform, exhibited in schools, galleries, museums, and public spaces. With a long-term goal of documenting all 54 African countries, the project continues to evolve as a celebration of culture, progress, and daily life.
A powerful photography exhibition reimagining how Africa is seen, and bringing global stories into a historic local space.
This exhibit was made possible by gifts from the Friends of the Mill and a grant from Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture.
Check out the new Spring-Summer Newsletter!
Our wood turner
David W.Graf
creating a frame.
In 1864, Charles Schwamb purchased a rebuilt, two-and-a-half story wood frame industrial building that had been built three years earlier but never occupied. The Schwambs proceeded to build west and east wing additions in 1869 and the late 1880s, respectively and were still making picture frames on the premises as late as 1969. After 105 years operating as a family-owned business, a remarkable transition from working factory to a living history museum was made possible by the vision and determination of Arlington resident and early preservationist Patricia Cunningham Fitzmaurice
The Mill’s unique 19th-century elliptical lathes, its original belt-driven shaft-and-pulley machinery, and the original hand-turning process are used to this day to create custom-made oval and circular frames for customers around the world.
Group tours are available daily by appointment. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $5.00 per person. Photography policy: You are welcome to take as may still pictures or videos of the Mill as you like, If, however, you enter your photograph in an exhibit or contest, please credit the image with “Courtesy of the Old Schwamb Mill.” Thank you!
CONTACT US
Address: 17 Mill Lane, Arlington, Massachusetts 02476
Telephone: 781-643-0554
For directions, visit https://bit.ly/3Dm2Ag7
Website: https://oldschwambmill.org
Email: info@oldschwambmill.org
The Schwamb Mill Preservation Trust exists for the preservation, maintenance and enhancement of the Old Schwamb Mill in Arlington, Massachusetts. Established in 1864 as a picture frame manufactory, the Mill is located on the site of many previous mills built on Mill Brook. It is the rare survivor of the small, family owned mills that helped define New England and is the oldest continuously operating mill site in the United States. The Mill’s unique 19th century elliptical faceplate lathes, its original shaft-and-pulley machinery, and the original hand-turning process are used to this day to create custom-made oval and circular frames. The Trust preserves and protects the Mill’s site, buildings, tools, archives, machinery and manufacturing techniques as unique cultural and educational resources.
You can add yourself to the Old Schwamb Mill’s monthly e-newsletter list here.
Become a Friend of the Old Schwamb Mill
We hope that you will join us by making a contribution to the Mill.
Friends who contribute $100 or more benefit by automatically receiving a reciprocal membership with The North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, ® offering free or reduced admission to a network of 1,333 art museums and galleries, historical museums and societies, botanical gardens, children’s museums, zoos, and more located across the United States, Bermuda, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. For more information, visit https://narmassociation.org
Your donation helps us plan for the year and keep us on a solid financial footing.
You can donate securely online:
Or send a donation by check. Please make checks payable to Schwamb Mill Preservation Trust, Inc. and mail to Old Schwamb Mill, 17 Mill Lane, Arlington MA 02476
The Schwamb Mill Preservation Trust Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable educational institution. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Before there was an Old Schwamb Mill or even an Arlington, Massachusetts, there was this Land, Water and Woods, the ancestral home of the Indigenous Massachuset People. We acknowledge and honor these people, their history and their culture.
Old Schwamb Mill 