The Paper and Cotton Mill of Bradford Lewis

The Paper and Cotton Mill of Bradford Lewis. Site of the First Telephones and Electric Lighting in Walpole. , The Bradford Lewis mill buildings were on this site (currently a parking lot) near the Neponset River and the railroad tracks. The mill processed waste paper and waste cotton to make new products such as cardboard and wiping cloths., The first telephones in Walpole were installed in Lewis's mill about 1880. Telegraph lines along the railroad tracks were used for telephones before there were dedicated telephone lines in town. The telephone exchange for about 36 initial subscribers in Walpole was at Lewis's mill until late 1882 when the Bay state Telephone Company took over the service. The telephone exchange remained at Lewis's mill until 1883 when it moved into a store located at present day 1 West Street., Lewis also had an electric generator as of 1890 and used it for electric lighting at the mill. In addition to operating the mill machinery, the generator provided power for the first electric street lighting in Walpole. The mill continued to provide electricity to Walpole residents, businesses, streets, and the Walpole Town Hall until 1900 when Medfield Electric took over supplying most of the electricity to Walpole., Roger F. Turner Jr. Fund for historical signage in Walpole and the Walpole Historical Society and Historical Commission; The First Telephones and Electric Lighting in Walpole Massachusetts by Betsey Dexter Dyer (2020) was the source of this information.