The Buxton woolen mill burns in 1938, two years after a flood washed away another mill on the Hollis side of the Saco River. The economies of West Buxton village and Hollis were dominated by the woolen industry for about a 100 years, starting around 1840. The first business was wool carding by the Clark family and others. The industry quickly developed to fully integrated operations with several niche weaving mills on both sides of the river. Immigrant families such as Tracy, Hanna and Berryman from Northern Ireland and Illingworth from England provided key expertise. Courtesy of Buxton-Hollis Historical Society