The Sawmill Museum is located in the Miettula area, which was established in the 18th century and lies approx. 8 km from downtown Puumala. The sawmill closed down already in the 1920s and there is a tourist centre called BlueWhite Resort Sahanlahti operating in the area of the sawmill community. The tourism company is responsible for the opening hours of the museum. The museum’s collections are owned by the municipality of Puumala.

Warden Johan Vilhelm Meinander established the Miettula Sawmill in 1765. At first, the sawmill used hydroelectricity and then in 1876, it switched over to steam. A mill joined the sawmill in the 1850s. Although the sawmill’s production facilities have not been preserved, the foreman’s residence is still standing and currently served as a restaurant and reception centre, as are worker accommodations, which is where the museum’s exhibitions are located.

The proximity of the Russo-Swedish border contributed to the establishment of the Miettula Sawmill and the formation of a sawmill community in Puumala in the 18th century. Russia needed wood, Finland the proceeds of the sale. The timber sawn in Puumala was also smuggled into Russia in order to circumvent the quotas and customs duties.

Trade with the East continued in the 19th century in the Grand Duchy of Finland that was part of Russia. The sawmill had its heyday at the end of the 19th century when it was owned by Paul Wahl & Co, when it had almost 50 employees. The most famous person living in the sawmill community was probably the daughter of foreman Juhani Koponen, Elsa Heporauta, who founded Kalevala Koru.

The museum exhibitions are located in the worker accommodations of the former sawmill. The building was built for two families, apparently during the 19th century. Nowadays, one half of the house has been decorated so it looks how it did in 1944, after the Continuation War was over. The second apartment has been decorated so it looks how it did in the 1910s and it shows the life of the sawmill employees from the tail end of the sawmill’s history. The storehouses in the yard have displays about business, processing flax, fishing and woodwork.

The tourist centre has coffeeshop and restaurant services, accommodation and programme services.