Broad Brook Trail ruins

[Guthook]

A little over a week ago I was on the Broad Brook Trail near Williamstown MA. I came across some old ruins that seemed pretty interesting. Does anyone have any idea what they used to be? They were maybe a hundred feet west of the brook, and included what was possibly a cellar hole foundation and then a long, straight manmade trench leading out from the foundation. I'm not all that sharp on identifying stone walls and such, but maybe someone here has an idea. Here are a few pics...

The beginning of the trench

The foundation/cellar hole?

From the trail:

 

[Becca M]

Just a guess - possibly mill building foundations. Did the trench run to the river? If not, and there are old stonewalls around, it could be a barn foundation. However, in the absence of regular fieldstone stone walls, I would guess an old factory. It didn't need to use water power necessarily, but, could have used water as part of the process. YMMV - I've poked around ruins like that in various places (not there, tho).

Were there old roads running to the foundation(s)?

--Becca

 

[jfb]

I also saw those ruins a few months ago. Have no idea what they were.

 

[Guthook]

Becca, thanks for the info. I guessed a mill or something like that, but I think the sluiceway ran more or less away from the river. Although it was at the bottom of a valley, so it must have run back to the river at some point.

I'll have to head back there at some point, anyway. I just love those bits of history.