The mills of Wicksbridgeare imaginary, but their planning, construction, and operation are typical of thosedeveloped throughout New England during the nineteenth century.

         & nbsp;  Each New England millis an architectural statement of the financial resources and ambitions of it s owners. Thepermanence and often remarkable state of preservation of these mills are a tribute to theingenuity and hard work of their builders. The number and density of communities that grewup around the mills still recall the lure of financial independence and personalprosperity that these structures once symbolized. In their physical domination of thesurrounding landscape, however, many mills continue to remind us that no opportunity comeswithout a price. (p. 3, Mill, David Macauley, Houghton Mifflin, 1983. ©1983, David Macauley. )