The town developed following the late 17th century establishment by monks of a paper mill within the town powered by the fast flowing Senninger Brook. Following a fire in 1750, Pierre Bourgeois, a French immigrant, ordered the facilities of the mill enlarged and the residential property on the site rebuilt in the classical style. Output was increased under the ownership of Jacques Lamort throughout the early 1800s, with mechanisation improvements to the mill and the canalisation of the Senninger Brook. However, as a result of economic problems, the mill was finally closed in 1882. The same year, the site was bought by Ernest Derveaux who demolished the mill and transformed the owner's residence into a revival-style castle, Senningen castle, (), which included neo-gothic wings, and a landscaped surrounding park with ornamental plants and trees and lake with a fountain.