Old Schwamb Mill, Arlington, Mass.

I can't say I've ever thought about how oval frames are made, much less about how they were made 150 years ago. Like everything old, crafty and made of wood, it's actually super awesome. During a recent trip to the Boston area, I took a tour of the Old Schwamb Mill in Arlington, which has been operating in one form or another since the 1860s - originally powered by a water wheel. It's a rare surviving example of a small business from the early industrial revolution and it still looks the part of a 19th century workshop.