tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83197734159274492112024-02-18T18:08:56.474-08:00Housatonic Paper TrailPeter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-53377727941061368472010-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:002010-09-14T08:00:21.372-07:00Housatonic Heritage Kicks off The Paper Trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW8uvBCmPEwUpuQ4vLOeXaKgHetmBEjQSxI-TdbIQHvMK1bDgXB9Pdzx6G5TChzvq5b9zcTsUFV9XY-EizDPoJJuh5kV-aOOgBSP3J4UiNlW1Il0o-lYCEU-mWIp5gj30Ze4ZUEkQf4s/s1600/9-14+Wright+portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW8uvBCmPEwUpuQ4vLOeXaKgHetmBEjQSxI-TdbIQHvMK1bDgXB9Pdzx6G5TChzvq5b9zcTsUFV9XY-EizDPoJJuh5kV-aOOgBSP3J4UiNlW1Il0o-lYCEU-mWIp5gj30Ze4ZUEkQf4s/s320/9-14+Wright+portrait.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>I'm presently very excited and very nervous about this coming Thursday. The Third Thursday celebration in downtown Pittsfield, Mass., will serve as both the culmination of almost three years of work (if you can call it that) as well as the springboard to future celebrations of the legacy of papermaking in the Upper Housatonic National Heritage Area.<br />
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Art exhibits, portraits of local papermakers, historical artifacts and even a paper plane guru (you remember <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://craneinsider.blogspot.com/2008/10/paper-airplanes-not-stationary-with.html">Howard</a></span></strong>) will help launch the Housatonic Paper Trail on Thursday, September 16, in Pittsfield. The multi-site celebration of the history and impact of the paper industry in the Upper Housatonic River region is a program of the <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.upperhousatonicheritage.org/">Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area</a></span></strong> in partnership with the <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://culturalpittsfield.blogspot.com/">Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development</a></span></strong>, <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.berkshiremuseum.org/">Berkshire Museum</a></span></strong> and <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.crane.com/">Crane & Co.</a></span></strong> <br />
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Mills along the Upper Housatonic River at one time produced much of the paper and paper products used in the nation. The region's contribution to the industry spans more than 200 years: from 1801, when Zenas Crane built his first mill in Dalton; through the 1860s, when the Upper Housatonic powered 65 mills; to the present day, in which two local companies - Crane & Co. and <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://onyxpapers.com/">Onyx Specialty Papers</a></span></strong>, whose roots extend to 1806, continue the legacy.<br />
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"We hope the Housatonic Paper Trail will help local residents and visitors understand the immense cultural, economic and historical impact that the paper mills have had on this region and the nation as a whole," said Dan Bolognani, executive director of Housatonic Heritage. "Our vision is to build up a wealth of information and artifacts that preserves and builds on this heritage " <br />
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The Housatonic Paper Trail will be launched as part of Pittsfield's 3rd Thursday. The official kick-off, which is open to the public, will be held at the <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Lichtenstein Center for the Arts</span></strong> from 5 to 7 p.m. The Center will host a group show of contemporary regional artists who work on or with paper; clips from "Paper Town," a new documentary film by Judith Monachina and Erica Spizz about the paper mills of Lee, Mass.; and an animated video by Alice, Anna and John Myers.<br />
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Crane historian Peter Hopkins will be on hand to give a brief overview of the industry's economical and cultural impact on the region.<br />
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"We're thrilled to bring attention to the region's extraordinary papermaking history through the work of local contemporary artists, filmmakers, photographers and animators," said Megan Whilden, director of Pittsfield's Office of Cultural Development. "What better way to celebrate our heritage of industrial innovation than through the continuing creativity of the region?" <br />
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Other events and exhibits will take place throughout downtown Pittsfield. Photographic portraits by Bill Wright of men and women who work in the paper industry will be on display at the <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://storefrontartist.org/">Storefront Artist Project</a></span></strong>.<br />
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The Berkshire Museum will house an installation by <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.henryklimowicz.com/">Henry Klimowicz</a></span></strong>, constructed of discarded cardboard, and historical artifacts from the Berkshire Museum and the Crane Museum of Papermaking.<br />
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On North Street, which will be closed to traffic, Howard Fink will demonstrate how to fold extraordinary paper airplanes and judge the best planes made by children and adults.<br />
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All events are free and open to the public. <br />
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Elevated to a national heritage area by the U.S. Congress in 2006, Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area works to build awareness and appreciation of the offerings and history of the 29 towns that straddle the Upper Housatonic River from Kent, Connecticut to Lanesboro, Massachusetts. Housatonic Heritage partners with local organizations and individuals to ensure that the region remains a vibrant place to live, work and visit in years to come. <br />
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Programs include annual Heritage Walks; the African American Heritage Trail; the Upper Housatonic Valley Experience, a teachers' immersion program in the region's history, culture, environment and economy; the Performing Arts Heritage Trail, which includes a wealth of arts venues and heritage sites; and the Iron Heritage Trail, which includes sites relating to iron manufacturing, one of the area’s most important industries from the 18th century through the early 1920s.<br />
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Housatonic Heritage is one of 49 national heritage areas designated by Congress in partnership with the National Park Service. Each has distinctive natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources that tell a unique story about our country. More information is available at HousatonicHeritage.org.Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-21913397926622784212010-04-07T11:27:00.000-07:002010-04-07T11:27:23.370-07:00Eagle Mill Developers Share IdeasDevelopers of the Eagle Mill in Lee envision new housing being crucial to re-using the former papermaking factory along the Housatonic River.<br />
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Representatives of Eagle Mill Enterprise based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., recently outlined "preliminary development ideas" which included a new five-story residential apartment building.<br />
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Here's a link to the article in the <b><a href="http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_14789801?IADID=Search-www.berkshireeagle.com-www.berkshireeagle.com" style="color: #0b5394;">Berkshire Eagle</a></b>.Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-58666611635004212132010-03-12T07:17:00.000-08:002010-03-12T07:17:34.520-08:00Making Fine Stationery from Crane Paper - 1926<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">A little while back, I posted a video of a film showing <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><b><a href="http://craneinsider.blogspot.com/2010/02/vintage-film-shows-crane-rag.html" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;">paper being made</a> </b></span>at Crane's Bay State Mill in 1926. Here is Part Two, which shows how Crane paper was made into Crane stationery.<br />
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Enjoy!</span><br />
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pzfps57VMug&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pzfps57VMug&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-54496019451433497362010-02-05T16:06:00.000-08:002010-02-05T16:06:25.219-08:00Vintage Film Shows Rag Papermaking in 1926Quite a while ago, I came across a reel of really old film in a mill basement at Crane. Being the curious type, I wanted desperately to find out what might be shown. And I figured that whatever was on the film was worth preserving. I took it to the photo shop where I had done business (film) for many years and they were kind enough to transfer the film to VHS - oh yeah - cutting edge - that's me.<br />
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Little did I know that the advance of technology would be so fast-paced. Last week, I came across the VHS in a box in the archives and figured I needed to get current again. I was able to dust off our old VCR and, after many false starts, bit the bullet and got a machine to convert the tape to 1s and 0s.<br />
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So, to make a short story long, I hope you enjoy this film. It's about 10 minutes long. It's a little rough, but heck, it's old. It really is a fascinating look at how rag paper was made in the day at Crane's Bay State Mill. Much has changed in the intervening years, but those of us who know the company well will recognize some machinery that's still being used. In a while, I'll post the rest of the film, which shows paper being made into stationery.<br />
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Enjoy, fellow paper-lovers.<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vXnav3w4h0g&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vXnav3w4h0g&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-57486329042294514632010-01-26T11:06:00.000-08:002010-01-26T11:08:42.347-08:00Tiny Village Sprouts World-Changing Technology<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There were probably only a handful of people who truly understood what was happening in the tiny hamlet of <b><a href="http://www.sblanchard.us/Interlaken/index.htm" style="color: #0b5394;">Curtisville</a></b> in 1866. Not far downstream from today's Stockbridge Bowl, a dam and race were being built and a mill was taking shape. That in itself was certainly no big deal. Hundreds of such structures adorned scores of streams and rivers up and down the Housatonic Valley.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJJTOx75WNoVp5ym35M8ESp_Gr9pEYmxdil9zUsQATLrNT8DKnPFIIuIxAjFkXvsTyxKhw0I_WfsoXogeGauv630p_IRqW5h5lXKtqJfRKqgPY406gfge-IjgYAmc5hpphv3ZsStNgRc/s1600-h/Mill+race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJJTOx75WNoVp5ym35M8ESp_Gr9pEYmxdil9zUsQATLrNT8DKnPFIIuIxAjFkXvsTyxKhw0I_WfsoXogeGauv630p_IRqW5h5lXKtqJfRKqgPY406gfge-IjgYAmc5hpphv3ZsStNgRc/s400/Mill+race.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The mill race from the dam upstream delivered horsepower to the mill downstream.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But if anyone had seen Friederich Wurtzbach, a newcomer from Germany, installing the machinery inside, it would have left spectators shaking their heads. They didn't know the world of papermaking was about to change forever.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLq1iG07QbbICxE4CZYS3u3I0jPXGwLCAwC75MojvVh_l4x1ZHTT6NAby8LP-Z6MzueMOPfM8KlotJsFkrnoo29LyxZSxxC3xyBs928yaCVobvCWdYWpVDxEu4r20BTzP1xN5Udqy7nw/s1600-h/Grinding+stone+lo-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLq1iG07QbbICxE4CZYS3u3I0jPXGwLCAwC75MojvVh_l4x1ZHTT6NAby8LP-Z6MzueMOPfM8KlotJsFkrnoo29LyxZSxxC3xyBs928yaCVobvCWdYWpVDxEu4r20BTzP1xN5Udqy7nw/s400/Grinding+stone+lo-res.jpg" width="371" /></a><br />
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<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until just after the Civil War, paper in America was made primarily from rags - cotton and linen - with some other sources of cellulose such as hemp and straw mixed in. With the arrival of peace between the North and the South, the demand for paper </span><span style="font-size: small;">skyrocketed. But the supply of raw materials could not keep pace. Papermakers were desperate for pulp.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The German paper industry had already solved this problem by making paper out of trees. That technology was now on its way to the United States.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">From "The Jones Story," here is a remembrance by Carl Wurtzbach of Lee, son of Friederich Wurtzbach. Friederich was an expert papermaker employed by the Pagenstecher brothers, emigrants from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region>. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> <br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alberto Pagenstecher had made some money in railroad construction work in South America and he wrote his nephew Albrecht in this country, asking advice on possible good investments in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> businesses. Albrecht and his brother Rudolph, had just heard about the Voelker (wood pulp) process and its success in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region></st1:place>. So Albrecht, a shrewd investor, advised that they purchase patent rights to the Voelker process and build a mill in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> to manufacture groundwood pulp.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alfredo came to America and joined his nephews, imported machines from Germany, sought and found the right site, erected a small, wooden mill, bringing from Germany Friederich Wurtzbach to supervise construction and the wood-grinding process. Wurtzbach was a skilled woodworker and before leaving <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> acquainted himself thoroughly with the Voelker process.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After a short period of experimentation, on March 5, 1867, Wurtzbach successfully turned out the first batch of wood pulp ground from native Berkshire poplar.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wurtzbach never intended to remain in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but following the success of his pioneer work at Curtisville, he was induced to stay and sent for his wife and three children. He made his home in Lee and lived out a long and useful life as a papermaker.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The great discovery that paper could be made from the nation's plentiful trees was not met with enthusiasm, despite the shortage of traditional raw materials.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again, from <i>The Jones Story</i>: </span><span style="font-size: small;">"And neither was it too enthusiastically received in this country, at first. For at this time, introduction of 'foreign matter' into paper made from rags was, more or less, considered shameful adulteration. However, it was tried out; although it is more a matter of local legend if not of history, that the first wagonloads of new pulp which were to be processed in Crow Hollow mill at Lee, were hauled from Curtisville by a roundabout route at night, to keep it from being known that the stuff was used in papermaking.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> "Whether this was from a desire to keep it as a possibly valuable industrial secret, or because it was feared it might put a blot on the rag escutcheon of the manufacturer, it is not known. This pulp was processed at the Columbia Mill in Crow Hollow, Lee, under supervision of Wellington Smith. So here on March 18, 1867, was manufactured the first newsprint from wood pulp in America."</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After Smith's success became widely known, the Pagenstechers were rushed with orders. They built a second mill in Luzerne, New York, but abandoned it soon afterward for the greater water power to be obtained at Palmer's Falls.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This mill was to become the foundation for the International Paper Co., and it sprouted from a tiny little mill in a tiny little hamlet on The Paper Trail.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimChIjvkb1z6emkh64phHHVyQ_atpGhBI8xtbviMFUVNhzDlpvCOIGMr_ogcDK-67L0pzk-eY1AJjmGWQAWAtCpx_iwyRPNEEYJzVH8V5rQW60geHpVfLGrvnFXwMibq9_rkOppUGOb0s/s1600-h/Monument+lo-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimChIjvkb1z6emkh64phHHVyQ_atpGhBI8xtbviMFUVNhzDlpvCOIGMr_ogcDK-67L0pzk-eY1AJjmGWQAWAtCpx_iwyRPNEEYJzVH8V5rQW60geHpVfLGrvnFXwMibq9_rkOppUGOb0s/s400/Monument+lo-res.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today, a small stone monument, with an original grinding stone and commemorative plaque, mark the site of the original mill. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJIGsFARxPAmnixQ_OXeoE7WXET5TCihdGtfPe5GkHeHd7hLWCy630IHh1whxhekCX3npiM5Vko-UzdyJZOb4VxXvCyjfkgzJGzy80jr5tDgtZN1XPZtaGcyIP2T4S3GqWd7g1M3pDhk/s1600-h/plaque+lo-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJIGsFARxPAmnixQ_OXeoE7WXET5TCihdGtfPe5GkHeHd7hLWCy630IHh1whxhekCX3npiM5Vko-UzdyJZOb4VxXvCyjfkgzJGzy80jr5tDgtZN1XPZtaGcyIP2T4S3GqWd7g1M3pDhk/s400/plaque+lo-res.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqZvCcEv23RAS1vniPLj38v5PLvUTBiWyPpBMyyygkQZ7MzBX4n81kA460FZmisDhcvNVp4eNWVnx7sA4wMKLD4B5BmBQSBPbhkQ4QS-ZsZijBJ5eQq5KmfqmRKO6mgrIjTSbYpSiP2c/s1600-h/Google+Earth+location.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipqZvCcEv23RAS1vniPLj38v5PLvUTBiWyPpBMyyygkQZ7MzBX4n81kA460FZmisDhcvNVp4eNWVnx7sA4wMKLD4B5BmBQSBPbhkQ4QS-ZsZijBJ5eQq5KmfqmRKO6mgrIjTSbYpSiP2c/s400/Google+Earth+location.PNG" width="400" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To learn more about the Wurtzbachs, the Pagenstechers, Curtisville and the advent of wood pulp in American, you are invited to visit The Stockbridge Library Association Historical Collection, located at 46 Main Street in downtown Stockbridge, Mass., just a couple of doors down from the historic Red Lion Inn. I have spent a couple of very informative sessions there with Curator Barbara Allen. The Library Association has a modest but important collection of materials and artifacts, including a scale model of the first pulp mill.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0V3ZTPuNhiOVM8zo5jc1D7_oE-xaKn2jHQisQ_n0ySJtInZRtf1QrlHzo1m1hk3BaXy-zySqXhdd7SSm2pLC0do81TRu7LbOj7wCHawqyZ0nlnR6DQt4DJbYsEa9xIS4vn7nZuzs0P4/s1600-h/Library+lo-res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0V3ZTPuNhiOVM8zo5jc1D7_oE-xaKn2jHQisQ_n0ySJtInZRtf1QrlHzo1m1hk3BaXy-zySqXhdd7SSm2pLC0do81TRu7LbOj7wCHawqyZ0nlnR6DQt4DJbYsEa9xIS4vn7nZuzs0P4/s400/Library+lo-res.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Association is also home to the Field family papers. Cyrus Field, a local boy, laid the Transatlantic Cable, and this great innovation is closely tied to The Paper Trail. We'll get to that story later.</span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you would like to visit the Association, Barbara is in attendance Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To view specific collections, please call in advance: (413) 298-5501.</span><br />
</div>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-34043162524098651462010-01-17T13:31:00.001-08:002010-01-17T13:31:37.701-08:00Penmanship and Letter Writing by a PapermakerI was digging around the Crane archives the other day with Jane Bower from the <b style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.wenhammuseum.org/">Wenham (Mass.) Museum</a></b>. The Museum is hosting an exhibition:<b style="color: #0b5394;"> <a href="http://wenhammuseum.org/exhibits.html">Paper Capers: Adventures in Paper Ar</a>t</b> from Feb. 9 to May 5. I was happy to loan them some really fun items, so put it on your calendar as a must-see.<br />
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One of the items lent is a letter written by Zenas Marshall Crane to his future bride Caroline Laflin of nearby Lee, Mass., which was to become the nation's leading <b style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.papertownprojects.org/index.html">papermaking town</a></b> later in the 19th century. The Laflins were a prominent family in Lee, first as gunpowder manufacturers, then the more reasonable papermaking.<br />
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I have long contested that "awkward" penmanship should not be an excuse to avoid putting pen to paper. And I've long advocated being responsible with the amount of paper we use, especially because we tend to print everything that appears on our computer screen.<br />
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So, with that as context, here is one of scores of letters from Zenas Marshall Crane to Caroline Laflin during their two-year courtship on paper.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82UoiWAdsqH1El2iNUeSBW_RlwxfR82vwO6ObwPzC_AV2PkpwbSiM3LEU_8FV3Avi3tq-RgoTOrvLPzJOiDbCmsXXPkKUP9kXSBj0mXtbvoWpNc3hySjLtwrBDqgv5vfBWbCfv4r6OwNj/s1600-h/1-10+ZM+Crane+letter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82UoiWAdsqH1El2iNUeSBW_RlwxfR82vwO6ObwPzC_AV2PkpwbSiM3LEU_8FV3Avi3tq-RgoTOrvLPzJOiDbCmsXXPkKUP9kXSBj0mXtbvoWpNc3hySjLtwrBDqgv5vfBWbCfv4r6OwNj/s400/1-10+ZM+Crane+letter.jpg" /></a>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-75355945689824777202009-12-14T13:24:00.000-08:002009-12-14T13:24:35.491-08:00More Machinery and a Paper Industry MysteryA few years ago, I had a call out of the blue from the caretaker of the mansion in Lenox, Mass., of the late Milos Krofta. Fred had found out that I was interested in papermaking and paper history and suggested he had something that might fit both categories.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixD_ifei231evIesZO-klPt_-7c1FAD5-1zYpDBWFmQwgDF5Ycd5Penl8lR-hd9XJV3QDEhaSipSiKm2FJWok1LAxjqNUCv9WtyR1Yld5qocL08_-3awek45JBiyESRIoqp3RjoRUHwtI/s1600-h/12-09+dr-milos-krofta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixD_ifei231evIesZO-klPt_-7c1FAD5-1zYpDBWFmQwgDF5Ycd5Penl8lR-hd9XJV3QDEhaSipSiKm2FJWok1LAxjqNUCv9WtyR1Yld5qocL08_-3awek45JBiyESRIoqp3RjoRUHwtI/s320/12-09+dr-milos-krofta.jpg" /></a><br />
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He sure did. First, a bit of history. Milos Krofta was a brilliant engineer and entrepreneur originally from Yugoslavia. He became involved in the paper industry there and was in charge of three mills as a young man. With the outbreak of World War II, his mills were confiscated by the Italians and Germans. In 1945, the remaining mill was again confiscated, this time by Communist Russia. When he learned that he was to be arrested as a capitalist enemy of the people, he fled to Trieste and freedom.<br />
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For six years, Krofta operated successfully as a consultant in Switzerland and Italy. In 1951, when the war in Korea erupted and the Italian Communist Party made great political gains, the Kroftas immigrated to the United States.<br />
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OK, back to Lenox. In Krofta's basement, there was a papermaker's dream: a complete mini paper mill. There was (sorry while I fall into paper-speak) a Voith cycle beater, an automated headbox pulp delivery system, a hydraulically assisted vat, a 100-ton hydraulic press, a pilot plant calender and a drying system that used hot oil - yikes! This stuff was so large, that it had to have been assembled in-place. It was marvelously over-engineered.<br />
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I made all sorts of calls to see if I could get anyone to take these machines out of the basement to save them, but alas, they were too big. They are now scrap.<br />
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But I did save one thing, and I could use your help solving a bit of a mystery. Here's the machine:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8VN_jBh-zLpdiPmG4TeHiH07LkG05xsVdRwwBspU5pU7e8TMvnUmOJQiVGufVF7_wncL6-lU1zZ4X1z3gsHZgbFTPtuSRJgzJDsc0t-bxabijrz3P7W4cznKPAeBitZeqFshSCFNbE4/s1600-h/Krofta+72+MiniMachine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8VN_jBh-zLpdiPmG4TeHiH07LkG05xsVdRwwBspU5pU7e8TMvnUmOJQiVGufVF7_wncL6-lU1zZ4X1z3gsHZgbFTPtuSRJgzJDsc0t-bxabijrz3P7W4cznKPAeBitZeqFshSCFNbE4/s400/Krofta+72+MiniMachine.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here's some of its insides:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOzbI5lqCjmEQA0x9qLFr5NCp7a0rgXv36V4ssJUhNxJroKQagawlQIJElh_slUTQmIwTBPSuCN_cV9hUp2U-DwpWkONA-zOEej-ISFGyCQyj0hyU4g2Juf4yDj6N1eS_E-4f8jGbCjk/s1600-h/Krofta+72+MiniMachineGuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOzbI5lqCjmEQA0x9qLFr5NCp7a0rgXv36V4ssJUhNxJroKQagawlQIJElh_slUTQmIwTBPSuCN_cV9hUp2U-DwpWkONA-zOEej-ISFGyCQyj0hyU4g2Juf4yDj6N1eS_E-4f8jGbCjk/s400/Krofta+72+MiniMachineGuts.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here's the identifying label:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoSY4rbM_zJYJ0H52Qh7FmtLbIW-3OBHSMTRgUV7VE9STyoJ5oJOo6cTe6eSdi1IR5jWZaEt14q035oPa2cYaF06JUgQQ477Ov_jugDBGrRJCY2pa0KcMqcux2x_TGtZ_C_dWPQFp5G4/s1600-h/Krofta+MiniMachineLabel+lo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIoSY4rbM_zJYJ0H52Qh7FmtLbIW-3OBHSMTRgUV7VE9STyoJ5oJOo6cTe6eSdi1IR5jWZaEt14q035oPa2cYaF06JUgQQ477Ov_jugDBGrRJCY2pa0KcMqcux2x_TGtZ_C_dWPQFp5G4/s400/Krofta+MiniMachineLabel+lo.jpg" /></a><br />
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So, I know it's a micro paper machine. I sort of guessed that before seeing the label, as there are some recognizable elements inside the machine, albeit quite a bit smaller.<br />
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So, what's its history? Did it every work? Are there any others in existence?<br />
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So many questions, but one thing is certain: I will get this thing making paper. I'm sure it won't be any time soon, but it will make paper. I could sure use some help.Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-55133478623437472572009-12-13T14:15:00.000-08:002009-12-13T15:44:46.499-08:00Excellent Machinery Along The Paper TrailI've always had a soft spot for machinery, ever since my parents took us kids on a string of factory tours many years ago. So you can imagine that a place like Crane & Co. in Dalton, which makes stationery and currency paper and a bunch of other stuff using machinery that probably can't be found many other places, holds a continuing fascination for me.<br />
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Crane stationery arrives at the store in boxes. One probably takes boxes for granted. They hold your stationery; big deal. They're really not worthy of further consideration. After all, they're just boxes.<br />
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Oh Yeah?<br />
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Check out Crane's Box Machine:<br />
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Did you see the guy in the blue shirt about 3/4 of the way through the video? He's an Adjuster. Yup; Crane's Stationery Factory has a staff of Adjusters. They Adjust machines. They are really good at what they do. I am seriously envious that they get to spend all day Adjusting Machines.Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-38151239210983298052009-12-11T15:25:00.000-08:002009-12-11T15:31:17.831-08:00Tragic News: Egremont Inn a Total LossIt's a very sad day here on The Paper Trail.<br />
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Earlier today, an historic building in Western Massachusetts was destroyed following an early morning fire, according to local reports. There is no doubt that The <b><a href="http://www.egremontinn.com/history.html">Egremont Inn</a></b> was as important to the region's paperm<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">ak</span></span>ers through their history here as it was to the local economy - until today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT5SoFAAtUB75Nl76yKRAWXk3TCZADTFEvd7jfa9lpO-jJim-Xjgq65-_Tw9az4_KUH7gMgA8j6vzxacLEcljcipgci9LU2cy_3pVhE_QRpAmw5jr4xOF5YUuJwe237d9HhWSbAUqeJk/s1600-h/egremont+inn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXT5SoFAAtUB75Nl76yKRAWXk3TCZADTFEvd7jfa9lpO-jJim-Xjgq65-_Tw9az4_KUH7gMgA8j6vzxacLEcljcipgci9LU2cy_3pVhE_QRpAmw5jr4xOF5YUuJwe237d9HhWSbAUqeJk/s400/egremont+inn.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> No one was hurt in the fire, but now more than 225 years of history, dating back to the Revolutionary War, have literally gone up in flames.<br />
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Fire and heavy smoke poured out of the building, which is in a national historic district.<br />
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According to WTEN in Albany, NY, firefighters say when they arrived on scene the flames were in one room on the bottom of the building and quickly spread from there.<br />
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Authorities say it is a complete loss, and because of the intensity of the fire, the effort to put it out is far from over.<br />
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"We're putting plenty of water on that," said Great Barrington Deputy Fire Chief Edward McCormick. "The building is too dangerous to allow our firemen to enter the building. That's probably what we're going to be doing for the rest of the day."<br />
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Firefighters say the cold weather is not making fighting the flames any easier.<br />
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In fact, because of all the water being used on the building, there is the danger of ice forming on the ground around where the firefighters are moving and the hoses freezing, as well.<br />
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The inn originally opened as a tavern in 1780.<br />
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Video from today's disaster can be seen<b> <a href="http://www.wten.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=4378167&h1=Historic%20Berkshire%20County%20inn%20destroyed%20by%20fire%20%2812/11/09%29&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=90900&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&rnd=13782308">here</a></b>.<br />
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</div>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-15198194895888573882009-12-11T13:12:00.000-08:002009-12-11T13:12:34.339-08:00E.D. Jones - The World's MillwrightOne of the most fascinating stories from The Paper Trail is that of Edward Dorr Griffin Jones, or E.D.Jones, as he and his business would come to be known around the world.<br />
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Just as early papermakers would locate their mills within easy distance of printers, it became the practice along the Housatonic River for businesses that serve the interests of papermakers to situate themselves close to their customers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJO6BLqm3Rjg4MzZolPcurCvpe0T7ycGOf7w1L6-PO-UB0B3-foxJoDOUl8GESmhyBxkMz64b-hVrUObVZjduKul75jKVh_NH4WM47meIhBMzoUqGsSbAgaWLK-dHSq3bqo0z4BKeFXDA/s1600-h/12-09+ed+jones+location.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJO6BLqm3Rjg4MzZolPcurCvpe0T7ycGOf7w1L6-PO-UB0B3-foxJoDOUl8GESmhyBxkMz64b-hVrUObVZjduKul75jKVh_NH4WM47meIhBMzoUqGsSbAgaWLK-dHSq3bqo0z4BKeFXDA/s400/12-09+ed+jones+location.JPG" /></a><br />
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The most prominent in the valley was E.D. Jones, who set up shop in East Lee on Greenwater Stream a tributary of the Housatonic and home to several small mills. According to "<b><a href="http://paperindustryweb.com/jones/jonesmain.htm">The Jones Story</a></b>" (1966) by Dwight E. Jones (no relation): <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">"</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Every indication pointed to an association with Bradford M. Couch whose shop was located along the Greenwater stream, on the opposite side from what now is the East Lee Inn. The exact working relation which he had with Bradford Couch is not clear, i.e. whether Couch, who was about twenty-six at the time, had started a shop earlier; whether they were partners or whether he simply used the Couch shop for headquarters and to get some mill work done or timber that was to be installed in paper mills. In any event, from accounts passed down by word of mouth, E. D. Jones spent much of his time in these first years with his own tools doing millwright work in the paper mills."</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAl-gdjTfbhw2a3vBjqftGsrTue9o1dkp4VU3AbAqxwfA_Fzpp-MzY6dUrp1KMQlYbFREWuCIzWGoyS5WtfCutVG3FWmXsUQnFs6E_O0yccreaUOZNlzLWi0rYPReytywo1GtPBNFcYsw/s1600-h/12-09+edjones+dam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAl-gdjTfbhw2a3vBjqftGsrTue9o1dkp4VU3AbAqxwfA_Fzpp-MzY6dUrp1KMQlYbFREWuCIzWGoyS5WtfCutVG3FWmXsUQnFs6E_O0yccreaUOZNlzLWi0rYPReytywo1GtPBNFcYsw/s400/12-09+edjones+dam2.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The dam that powered E.D. Jones' millwright shop.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Jones was not the first to set up a service shop. There were several others up and down the Housatonic, so Jones had to excel in areas that others could not. He found his first major toehold building overshot waterwheels, largely constructed of wood, with the exception of the shaft; assembled in Jones' shop then taken down to be transported to and mounted in place on the main drive shaft of the mill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">In 1856, Couch sold his interest in the shop to Jones. Around this time, there was continued expansion in the paper industry, not only on Greenwater Stream, but on other waterways as well. "</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">For a time it seemed that paper mills sprung up like mushrooms, all up and down the streams in Lee, Tyringham, Stockbridge, Housatonic, Great Barrington, and there were times when men, seemingly bemused by the lure of this industry, erected little "one family" mills on their farms and went headlong into the business, knowing little or nothing about it and prospering little or none," writes author Jones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Most would come to rely on the services of E.D. Jones. And because so many did, in 1866, Jones sold his shop to two of his journeymen and moved his operation north to Pittsfield. In the 1880s, two of Jones' sons joined the business, which was now associated with iron founders Wm. Clark & Company, and building complete paper mills and, interestingly, school houses and freight elevators. The business was incorporated in 1896.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6jAGJUdti9x4XDCNH8YFMx5LIBoPAaRYWjnLb5QZyxbwl02VYOF0fjvOiGVBEHo8M42yYgLUmfPZMc55kfWLBaG2XlO5oKLWzVd9esDtp2pfbgv6eaIFfF7CEJUyr1pN1NiDFCyNUtA/s1600-h/12-09+edjones+truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6jAGJUdti9x4XDCNH8YFMx5LIBoPAaRYWjnLb5QZyxbwl02VYOF0fjvOiGVBEHo8M42yYgLUmfPZMc55kfWLBaG2XlO5oKLWzVd9esDtp2pfbgv6eaIFfF7CEJUyr1pN1NiDFCyNUtA/s400/12-09+edjones+truck.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A wagon dumping jack made by E.D. Jones</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">The end of an era passed in 1905 with the death of E.D. Jones, but the foundation which he laid would prove solid for the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Stay tuned for Part II of the Jones story.<br />
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</span>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-13203291383317784492009-11-20T14:43:00.000-08:002009-11-20T14:43:36.867-08:00Paper Town: Lee, Mass., on The Paper TrailPapermaking has been the economic backbone of Lee, Massachusetts, as well as other towns along the Housatonic River, for more than 200 years. At one time, there were 25 paper mills in Lee. The first successful American paper from wood pulp was made here, along with many other industry firsts. In 2008, Schweitzer Mauduit, the largest local employer of paper makers, closed the doors of its four Lee mills, and Mead Westvaco closed one, leaving only one mill running. It is still running.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDh2DMOlrveqgrVjD_nEshBQ8-L47adpeDY89HjKpa3efFI2-V_2bdpODIxTDi6uwzn4YVfr-N546mAybCyOiYf5GEaOQP1fwm2LjGWkXjdSyU9wGUVYJPXLJVAke1L8XH6j04frj-aSI/s1600/EagleMill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDh2DMOlrveqgrVjD_nEshBQ8-L47adpeDY89HjKpa3efFI2-V_2bdpODIxTDi6uwzn4YVfr-N546mAybCyOiYf5GEaOQP1fwm2LjGWkXjdSyU9wGUVYJPXLJVAke1L8XH6j04frj-aSI/s400/EagleMill.jpg" /></a><br />
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<i>The Eagle Mill on the Housatonic River in Lee, Mass. The mill closed in 2008, after making paper for more than 200 years.</i><br />
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The history of this great industry in this small New England town is being documented on film by Judith Monachina, a Lee native, and whose family worked in the Lee mills.<br />
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"This documentary will be a look at how a small town with a deep history of papermaking envisions its future, and it will give the community a way to look at its past," said Judith.<br />
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The documentary tells the story of this papermaking tradition, and the Paper Mills Documentary Project includes students from the Lee Middle School in the process. Students are learning the papermaking heritage of their town as teachers find ways to incorporate local history and papermaking into the curriculum.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QD4kRENVFtO5QVoE2hYk3I7u0x_CsazwqTYfySOixHDcg0XZxCdsbgE3gnYUKMlCrvzFgRm_3X_-FWT2SWgmZl02QFrnlt6nQE5Ow0pex8ScckANq22uaFN50KS-GGghTC5JSzPEphc/s1600/ColumbiaMillWorkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QD4kRENVFtO5QVoE2hYk3I7u0x_CsazwqTYfySOixHDcg0XZxCdsbgE3gnYUKMlCrvzFgRm_3X_-FWT2SWgmZl02QFrnlt6nQE5Ow0pex8ScckANq22uaFN50KS-GGghTC5JSzPEphc/s400/ColumbiaMillWorkers.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Employees of Lee's Columbia Mill in the 1870s.</i><br />
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To date, this project has been supported by Mass Humanities, Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, High Meadow Foundation, and generous individuals.<br />
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Be sure to visit the <b><a href="http://www.papertownprojects.org/projects.html">Paper Town</a></b> website to learn much more.Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-46693152736634032412009-11-06T13:15:00.000-08:002009-11-06T14:12:09.422-08:00Dard Hunter's Giant Footprint On The Paper TrailThe first paper along the Housatonic River was made by hand in 1801 by Zenas Crane in Dalton, Mass. After the introduction of papermaking machinery in the 1800s, the art of handmade paper quickly came to an end. There is no record of when and where the last handmade paper was made along The Paper Trail, but its return is well-known among paper historians and those involved with the paper and book arts. Actually, the only reason there are paper and book artists in the United States is because of the curiosity and tenacity of Dard Hunter.<br />
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I won't go into any great detail about Hunter - the story is long and rich, and I'll help you get to the best sources in a minute. Suffice it to say that Dard Hunter<b></b> (1883-1966) was an American Renaissance man. He was not only a designer in the Arts & Crafts Movement in the early decades of the 20th century, but also a private press printer, paper historian and author, collector and museum director. His travels around the world helped uncover and pass along the indigenous traditions of papermaking throughout the world. He was bound and determined to reignite interest - artistically and commercially - in handmade paper in the United States.<br />
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<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lime+rock+ct&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.313287,75.498047&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lime+Rock,+Litchfield,+Connecticut&ll=41.933704,-73.389286&spn=0.003935,0.009216&t=h&z=17&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=lime+rock+ct&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.313287,75.498047&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lime+Rock,+Litchfield,+Connecticut&ll=41.933704,-73.389286&spn=0.003935,0.009216&t=h&z=17" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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It was in Lime Rock, Conn., where he and his partners set up what they hoped would become the first commercial mill along the banks of the Salmon Fells Kill in an abandoned factory that once made railroad wheels. He brought not only all the equipment he would need from a handmade paper mill in England, but an entire English papermaking family as well.<br />
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Papermaking commenced in 1930, but the dream of a real mill never came to pass for Hunter. The mill languished for years, finally closing for good in 1950. The buildings were swept away by the flood of 1955, well-remembered by many residents of the area.<br />
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Hunter's career is well worth exploring. There is even an organization called The Friends of Dard Hunter. Here are some links to pursue the story.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.friendsofdardhunter.org/darda.html">Friends of Dard Hunter</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://ipst.gatech.edu/amp/">Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://craneinsider.blogspot.com/">The Crane Insider Blog</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.dardhunter.com/">Dard Hunter Studios</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www2.library.ohiou.edu/archives/dard/scholar.html">Ohio University Libraries</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.redhydrapress.com/baker.html">By His Own Labor, Biography of Dard Hunter</a></b><br />
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Following are photographs from the Lime Rock Mill. I am indebted, as always, to Cindy Bowden, director of the Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking in Atlanta, for these photos.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguHzwsKLN9BOf1Zz7rDuPcxK6BOYJmP6dABP3G5i9YVgewMvKRMuqZI9_DspoEWTVwFToK8Mo5Gas6zhrbjRRHf_MSz_IW8PRubWJJuJiIcVqbV7dkyN-gWwvfmM6VKz8_YJbjGaJWF0/s1600-h/Lime+Rock+Dard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguHzwsKLN9BOf1Zz7rDuPcxK6BOYJmP6dABP3G5i9YVgewMvKRMuqZI9_DspoEWTVwFToK8Mo5Gas6zhrbjRRHf_MSz_IW8PRubWJJuJiIcVqbV7dkyN-gWwvfmM6VKz8_YJbjGaJWF0/s400/Lime+Rock+Dard.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dard Hunter<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8xqw6_4nP54Jz-jKL5fXn52wOhkqgE2FbT0lhg8OlrFKbZMf5EaxYZk_qZS53gO8qmqRm7MZQQD_3ooqxhfwEyNz5PzpX6_ddEQ5dVoWjeH4G_96R-Ogn5HZ4FzWvYyMwkiFrbXKFxA/s1600-h/Lime+Rock+outside+mill+upstream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8xqw6_4nP54Jz-jKL5fXn52wOhkqgE2FbT0lhg8OlrFKbZMf5EaxYZk_qZS53gO8qmqRm7MZQQD_3ooqxhfwEyNz5PzpX6_ddEQ5dVoWjeH4G_96R-Ogn5HZ4FzWvYyMwkiFrbXKFxA/s400/Lime+Rock+outside+mill+upstream.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Lime Rock Mill<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2-Qw-5MlE3SboEfqXxcVGa37zoT455ZRX7cxvfFtZUp_Yhuz3a7OvKwkldNS5YnW-U5vKg20r66VRb31EcO2IVqlh1QwQvM-eusgyd7gkodAMUJosj_0whH5FeL92U098mSVLRANcTM/s1600-h/Lime+Rock+Robinsons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2-Qw-5MlE3SboEfqXxcVGa37zoT455ZRX7cxvfFtZUp_Yhuz3a7OvKwkldNS5YnW-U5vKg20r66VRb31EcO2IVqlh1QwQvM-eusgyd7gkodAMUJosj_0whH5FeL92U098mSVLRANcTM/s400/Lime+Rock+Robinsons.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The papermaking Robertson family from England<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSB4po3_dTh6zvb9-8AufZGcx0GR4_XASEuk0exw2Az3kYyJOuitRATnBUPwM74YgqV0gzdQ8Ziai0eUGiOuCyUaoJWcUODNYEtfm-rsXWawffQF7xCpQRZeCM9vHXw09ZqyO-gQmNEU/s1600-h/Lime+Rock+rag+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSB4po3_dTh6zvb9-8AufZGcx0GR4_XASEuk0exw2Az3kYyJOuitRATnBUPwM74YgqV0gzdQ8Ziai0eUGiOuCyUaoJWcUODNYEtfm-rsXWawffQF7xCpQRZeCM9vHXw09ZqyO-gQmNEU/s400/Lime+Rock+rag+room.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cotton rags being sorted for papermaking<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3Whauoi696S5U2GBWc9Xb-GVwnR3tswXfVq-yKbMvjH12A4HDXWM4ehhUkOoJkAyi2osOUvX_xlQV_WI2WEJ1Maprx-VuM9zvIU1A9AevgQB1YGqLem1svHSRZWGcxkU1ml7utIeIZc/s1600-h/Lime+Rock+Beater_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio3Whauoi696S5U2GBWc9Xb-GVwnR3tswXfVq-yKbMvjH12A4HDXWM4ehhUkOoJkAyi2osOUvX_xlQV_WI2WEJ1Maprx-VuM9zvIU1A9AevgQB1YGqLem1svHSRZWGcxkU1ml7utIeIZc/s400/Lime+Rock+Beater_web.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This beater was used to turn rags into pulp; hence the term, beaten to a pulp!<br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr94vDkyTgJ0mdJkWa_-FxYDq464TVaVzIBsLbcxGZVAnuiJu9xtPDIZrJtOxTDjVqCrqDi5It2lA5MT9vtRxyqBk0g9devP3YdZGmEz7rJrKGFlWu-FQ24u3MzaC_is_o9_QpNJb6CY/s1600-h/Lime+Rock+Papermaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGr94vDkyTgJ0mdJkWa_-FxYDq464TVaVzIBsLbcxGZVAnuiJu9xtPDIZrJtOxTDjVqCrqDi5It2lA5MT9vtRxyqBk0g9devP3YdZGmEz7rJrKGFlWu-FQ24u3MzaC_is_o9_QpNJb6CY/s400/Lime+Rock+Papermaking.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Papermaking in progress<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our next installment will explore the connection between the first hand papermaker and the last, along The Paper Trail.<br />
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</div>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-27618001938052315772009-10-29T07:33:00.000-07:002009-10-29T07:34:20.130-07:00The Rising Paper Mill of Housatonic<span style="font-size: small;">Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to climb in the pickup</span><b> </b>and take a field trip to a beautiful little village in the Housatonic valley. The destination that day was the<b> <a href="http://www.gblibraries.org/ramsdell.html">Ramsdell Public Library</a> </b><span style="color: black;">in lovely downtown Housatonic. Built in 1908, the first floor houses the library collection and the second floor the theater. The theater room also houses the collections of the<b> <a href="http://www.greatbarringtonhistoricalsociety.org/">Great Barrington Historical Society</a></b>. And within that collection are the archives from the former Rising Paper Mill.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmcTzUpie82R4bRxplL7xc2D4S-f0suwqn3awY3Q1DxVwhfUvTZuEeDjEEQW96QB5Spv2bH2O0475c34Njj3HhIhNo3JZlGd3rLju_YDwTQc0JPW2vQi89DkZakflO68pTsvdpsxDRgw/s1600-h/10-29+ramsdell+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmcTzUpie82R4bRxplL7xc2D4S-f0suwqn3awY3Q1DxVwhfUvTZuEeDjEEQW96QB5Spv2bH2O0475c34Njj3HhIhNo3JZlGd3rLju_YDwTQc0JPW2vQi89DkZakflO68pTsvdpsxDRgw/s400/10-29+ramsdell+.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: black;">My host for the visit was Gary Leveille, vice president of the Historical Society. He and local historian <b><a href="http://www.thebookloft.com/storeinfo/306799">Bernard Drew</a></b> have been working away at organizing and cataloging the Rising archives, which are contained in 20 boxes. As much as I wanted to ruffle through each and every box of payroll records, paper samples, photographs and marketing materials dating from 1899, I had to hold myself in check until a later date.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And that's just as well, because Gary was kind enough to show me the most treasured part of the collection - a painting of the Rising Paper Mill comple</span>x by Yvonne Twining Humber. It is a magnificent painting and is far superior and much more interesting than any photo I could have taken to present to you today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPh27OiobyvqUTb9ssim5C-J4aTV_QwTIfM4WmiXrA27GxfFI9zwnFe9zVtFx-ltWmYGrPG_O6fhIyClV86Knkjr5VuTdzX5nLFzZIbQtEXcli30tk-Q0ppjLUacoQ1bEi15WK5YyckA/s1600-h/10-29+painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPh27OiobyvqUTb9ssim5C-J4aTV_QwTIfM4WmiXrA27GxfFI9zwnFe9zVtFx-ltWmYGrPG_O6fhIyClV86Knkjr5VuTdzX5nLFzZIbQtEXcli30tk-Q0ppjLUacoQ1bEi15WK5YyckA/s400/10-29+painting.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here is a link to an article about her very distinguished <b><a href="http://www.martin-zambito.com/YVONNE%20TWINING%20HUMBER.html">career.</a></b><br />
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The Rising mill today is owned and operated by the <b><a href="http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/holyokebased_hazen_paper_buys.html"></a><a href="http://www.hazen.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=5">Hazen Paper Company</a> </b>of Holyoke, Mass., which specializes in film and foil laminations, gravure printing, specialty coating, and rotary embossings. Hazen products enjoy wide acceptance for use in luxury packaging, bookbinding, lottery and other security tickets, tags and labels as well as for photo and fine art mounting.<br />
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We'll have an opportunity to dive deeper into the history of the Rising Paper Mill and the hamlet of Housatonic at a later date. Next up: Dard Hunter and the Lime Rock Mill.<br />
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</div><div style="color: #0b5394;"><b> </b><br />
</div>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-39390820620378161542009-10-15T12:49:00.000-07:002009-10-15T12:52:33.247-07:00Some Good News Along the Paper Trail<span id="RDS_site">We learned from the Berkshire Eagle yesterday that two senior managers at the MeadWestvaco plant in Lee are negotiating to purchase the facility from its parent company and keep it running as it does now with its 122-member work force.</span><br />
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<span id="RDS_site"> According to the Eagle, "MeadWestvaco General Manager Patricia Begrowicz and Vice President of Sales and Business Development Christopher Mathews confirmed Friday that they are presently in negotiations with the parent company to buy the the Willow Mill, the former Laurel Mill building and the finished goods warehouse, all located in South Lee, from MeadWestvaco Corp."<br />
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<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Willow+Mill+-+Hurlbut+Dam,+Massachusetts+01230&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.764224,66.357422&ie=UTF8&split=0&hq=&hnear=Willow+Mill+-+Hurlbut+Dam&ll=42.283342,-73.280354&spn=0.0077,0.024376&t=h&z=14&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=Willow+Mill+-+Hurlbut+Dam,+Massachusetts+01230&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.764224,66.357422&ie=UTF8&split=0&hq=&hnear=Willow+Mill+-+Hurlbut+Dam&ll=42.283342,-73.280354&spn=0.0077,0.024376&t=h&z=14" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small><br />
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Here's a<b> <a href="http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_13530407?IADID=Search-www.berkshireeagle.com-www.berkshireeagle.com">link</a></b> to the full story. <br />
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</span>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319773415927449211.post-23722731154968665632009-10-15T12:08:00.000-07:002009-10-15T12:08:32.647-07:00The First Stop Along the Housatonic Paper Trail<i>The Housatonic Heritage Paper Trail explores the rich history and social legacy of the paper industry which has relied on the waters of the Housatonic for more than two centuries. As one of the lead researchers, I will keep you up-to-date on what we find along the way.</i><br />
<i> Peter Hopkins</i><br />
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Last week, I attended an "Out & About" gathering of members of the <b><a href="http://clho.org/">Connecticut League of History Organizations</a></b> and the <b><a href="http://www.upperhousatonicheritage.org/">Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area</a></b> at Herman Melville's Arrowhead home in Pittsfield, Mass. We were treated to an informative presentation by Betsy Sherman, director of the <b><a href="http://berkshirehistory.org/about/">Berkshire County Historical Society</a></b>, which is housed at <b><a href="http://berkshirehistory.org/herman-melville/herman-melville-and-arrowhead/">Arrowhead</a></b>, and a lively tour of the house and the history associated with it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-WPoiuhuf-88_M55GMSbdiN_QqN3syrILUCHvUOlohz8jVhWxtFZTmoRtav7q4KUp_SB0zuLOxHJQXy-xnAsk-mPu-iipwy4p4YuHRxawmy9iG80acGv15m4dESnPO90RMoU9C1tzU8/s1600-h/10-15+The+Mount.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-WPoiuhuf-88_M55GMSbdiN_QqN3syrILUCHvUOlohz8jVhWxtFZTmoRtav7q4KUp_SB0zuLOxHJQXy-xnAsk-mPu-iipwy4p4YuHRxawmy9iG80acGv15m4dESnPO90RMoU9C1tzU8/s400/10-15+The+Mount.jpg" /></a><br />
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So one might ask, "All well and good, Peter, but what's this got to do with paper?"<br />
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In 1855, Melville penned The Paradise of Bachelors and the <b><a href="http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=MelPara.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=2&division=div2">Tartarus of Maids</a></b>. The Tartarus focuses on a fictional visit to Devil's Dungeon paper mill by a seedsman in need of paper. The story is a very dark accounting of Melville's feelings about factories and the working conditions therein, especially for women.<br />
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<i>"Suddenly a whirling, humming sound broke upon <br />
my ear. I looked, and there, like an arrested <br />
avalanche, lay the large whitewashed factory. <br />
It was subordinately surrounded by a cluster of <br />
other and smaller buildings, some of which, from <br />
their cheap, blank air, great length, gregarious <br />
windows, and comfortless expression, no doubt <br />
were boarding-houses of the operatives."</i><br />
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And, it's pretty much downhill from there.<br />
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We surmise that Melville based his view of paper mills on those in Dalton, as history records that in February of 1851 he wrote to his friend Evert A. Duyckinck, on paper watermarked "Carson's Dalton MS" that he had just made a sojourn to the mill to pick up "a sleigh-load of paper. A great neighborhood for authors, you see, is Pittsfield."<br />
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Several other famous 19th-century authors made the Berskshires their home, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edith Wharton. As we explore further the relationship between paper and this beautiful valley, we'll see if there are Paper Trail connections with them as well.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlLyjobfvdDFjqlj6J4HX8tM97r85rmG_fogCdFZtEUnV1_kO8Yc-x7dnO6D97XEEMXSU7__7Vy_GdJs91YQ2gs0Rvu3EmVWLdfOb5gAU2UthaVdaf4A7oxHr8iGKzPEpZ7yVnhWRbzA/s1600-h/10-15+Greylock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYlLyjobfvdDFjqlj6J4HX8tM97r85rmG_fogCdFZtEUnV1_kO8Yc-x7dnO6D97XEEMXSU7__7Vy_GdJs91YQ2gs0Rvu3EmVWLdfOb5gAU2UthaVdaf4A7oxHr8iGKzPEpZ7yVnhWRbzA/s320/10-15+Greylock.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The view from Herman Melville's writing desk<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">at Arrowhead. Mt. Greylock, the highest<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">point in Massachusetts, is in the distance.<br />
</div>Peter Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17072202033128976170noreply@blogger.com0