 Gorham began as one of the leading manufacturers of silverware in the U.S., but after the Great Depression and World War II, the company shifted to producing war-related silver products such as weapons.Samples of the pond's soil indicate that Gorham Silver Manufacturing, along with other metal manufacturing companies on the pond's shores, left massive amounts of metal sediment in and around the pond.High levels of heavy metals, VOCs, PAHs, and dioxin are found in the sediment of Mashapaug Cove.