Water has been used to power mills for a variety of tasks since colonial times. Almost any river or stream of any size in New England had at least one mill. While the snuff mill at the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace is small, it is typical of the water power technology that was used to operate these early mills.

The source of power for these mills was the waterwheel. At the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace, an undershot wheel powers the snuff mill and a breastwheel powers the gristmill. Each wheel is connected to the river by a channel of water called a raceway. The portion of the raceway above the wheel is called the headrace; the portion that returns the water to the river is called the tailrace.

The vertical distance between the headrace and the tailrace is known as the head. The amount of power available at any site depends on the head and the rate of flow. A gate at the beginning of the headrace regulates the rate of flow. Dams were often built increase the amount of head at the mill site. The millpond often created by these dams also helped to provide a steady supply of water for the wheel.

Power from the waterwheel was transferred to the machines through a series of gears and shafts called the power train. In the case of the snuff mill, two gears turn a lantern pinion that provides power to the snuff-grinding machine. By going from larger to smaller gears, the snuff grinder can be turned much faster than the waterwheel itself. This simple system could easily be expanded to power many machines from a single waterwheel.

The importance of waterpower increased dramatically in 1793 when Samuel Slater built the country's first successful water powered textile mill on the Blackstone River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Slater's success formed the basis for a new economy in New England - one much more lucrative than grinding grain or sawing logs. Small gristmills and sawmills throughout New England were replaced with water-powered textile mills. By the mid-19th century, Rhode Island had grown to become one of the largest industrial centers in the United States.

Waterpower remained important to the New England economy until the end of the 19th century when it was eventually phased out, replaced by power from steam boilers and electric generators. As the use of waterpower declined, so did New England's industrial base - especially the textile industry. As long as New England mills could obtain free energy from the river, they had a competitive advantage. When technology made the use of waterpower unimportant to the energy needs of manufactures, the mills moved south where labor and electricity were less expensive.

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