Since 1953, the State of New Hampshire has owned the last up-and-down sawmill in the state. This water powered Taylor Mill on Ballard Pond in Derry has been silent in recent years, its ponderous water wheel rusted and decayed with no state funds to repair it.

Gary N. Stapleford and his company Nel-Tech Labs, Inc. of Manchester, New Hampshire, manufacturers of digital equipment, and Daniel H. Dudley of Londonderry stepped in. Over a 2-year period, the old wheel was disassembled, its design carefully documented, and new white oak was ordered to replace the rotted wood. The wheel was rebuilt to closer tolerances than it had been when new. Mr. Dudley served as manufacturing manager during the wheel restoration.

Nel-Tech Labs, Inc. invested $50,000 in materials. Even more important, company personnel and local volunteers made a priceless contribution of time, ingenuity and mechanical skill to bring the machinery back to life.

Thanks to Mr. Stapleford, Nel-Tech Labs, Inc., and Mr. Dudley, the mill has been restored to working condition, and once again takes visitors back 200 years for an impressive glimpse of the marriage of technology, water power, and forest wealth that made New Hampshire's name familiar throughout Europe and the transatlantic world.