In 1902 two men opened a mill located on Sauquoit Street called the Walcott & Campbell Spinning Mill. The two men were father and son, Benjamin Stuart Walcott,Sr. and his son, Benjamin Stuart Walcott, Jr.. The mill was split into two sides, one side (specifically the left) was occupied by the Nehi Bottling Works. The right side was occupied by the company who manufactured the concrete pipe. The mill was located near the Sadaquada Creek because the Walcotts saw potential of water power from it. As early as 1878, a high percentage of immigrants became an integral part of the villages population". At this time Polish Immigrants began to settle in New York Mills to look for jobs and a place to live. Since the inception of the village, many improvements have been made such as road paving and updating old buildings that were built 75 years ago. However, "from its meager beginnings New York Mills has evolved and shaped up in throughout the past centuries"