Early Bethlehem's dyers used natural material such as indigo (blue), madder (red), logwood (purple), and fustic (yellow) to add color to linen, wool, cotton, and silk cloth and thread. The first dye house opened in 1746 and was built along the grist mill tailrace. In 1752, a second dye house was built as an addition to the west side of the grist mill-fulling mill complex adjacent to the site. In 1771, a third, separate building was constructed on this location. Only walls remain today. By the 1830s, the dyeing operation ended. The dye house became a dwelling and was later used as storage for the adjacent Luckenbach Mill. In the 1930s, the building was partially dismantled to use the stone for another project.