Lee was once the largest producer of paper in the country, and the town still has a varitey of old mill buildings dating from 1806 up until the 1970s. The downtown has a bustling main street with storefronts lining both sides featuring unique Victorian architecture. True to its mill town roots Lee is less polished than some of its neighbors, and provided Norman Rockwell with characters and settings for many of his paintings. In 1995 it was the filming location for Before and After.