Transcript History of Moss Glen Falls Revealed: The Lost Settlement of Brownsville Lydia Smith & Jessica Kuonen Moss Glen Falls is a popular summer spot.

History of Moss Glen Falls
Revealed: The Lost Settlement of
Brownsville
Lydia Smith & Jessica Kuonen
Moss Glen Falls is a popular summer spot for sightseeing and swimming. Upon finding historic pictures
of the falls with a penstock we wondered what anthropomorphic changes had occurred and what effects
these changes had on the bedrock channel. We found that the penstock provided power for several
sawmills and a starch mill for the small settlement of Brownsville which was centered around the falls in
the late 1800’s.
Human Impact of the Channel
Then and Now
A Brief History of Brownsville
amidst Moss Glen Falls:
Timeline
1830’s-1950’s Brownsville: Settlement & Industry
1850’s
-Several Farms in area
-Starch Factory at base of falls
-School House
-Logging Roads to left of falls
-Two Dams with holding pools
-Concrete
-Log
-Two Sawmills (1 upstream, 1
downstream of falls)
Present day photo of where starch
factory was located.
A dam with a penstock that
provided hydro power for the
starch factory located below
the falls (to the right).
Downstream: Remainder of log dam
Pool above Falls:
Evidence of channel widening by blasting
1889-1899
-Starch Factory closed
-Large Mill Pond above falls
from dam that provided
power to a steam sawmill
-below the falls was another
dam and sawmill of which
the foundation still exists
Mill-pond sediment below falls,
also located in several pools
behind pre-existing dams
Notches in bedrock remain
where dams were constructed
The perseverance of the townspeople and the
drive for mill power led to several attempts at
capturing the most energy from the falls. At times,
up to four dams were located within close
proximity to the falls supplying energy to multiple
industries. The present day photo (and site) show
minimal evidence of the roofed structure (above)
and the penstock present in the historic photo.
Moss Glen Falls Data
Channel Type: Bedrock Gorge with alluvium sediments up and
downstream of falls, lots of pools and riffles
Sediment Type: sand, rounded cobbles and boulders,
differs with proximity to falls
Discharge: Q=2.9 m3/s, V=1.26 m/s
Manning’s n: n = .037 - minor stream
GPS: 0688880 N
4928230 E
Channel Dimensions (downstream of falls)
1900-1950’s
-Early 1900’s - area
above falls was cleared
-Flood of 1927 accounts
claim “havoc” in
Brownsville
-Early 1930’s - becomes
tourist mecca
-1950’s- glory days of
Brownsville are over as
economy of the area
depresses
View of penstock from
downstream with present-day
photo of same location. Note
differences in channel
composition and discharge.
The penstock was connected
to the sawmill downstream to
which the foundation is still
present (left).