As a foreword, this topic covers the Hampden Paper Co., which operated briefly in Holyoke during the 1860s. The account of the Hampden Glazed Paper and Card Co. will be covered in a future edition. The latter company operated from October 1880 until September 2020 at 100 Water Street.
Reflecting on the first papermaking companies to form in Holyoke, the Parsons Paper Company in 1853 and the Holyoke Paper Company in 1857 come to mind. The story will now be told of the Hampden Paper Company, another early entrant in the papermaking business, founded in 1865.
In 1864, Daniel and John Newton constructed a frame manufacturing building near the old swing ferry leading to South Hadley. This was built as a speculative venture and was not intended as their papermaking business. At the time, the Newton brothers were factory-building contractors. However, they saw that with a small amount of capital and an entrepreneurial spirit, they could make money in the papermaking business in Holyoke.
The Hampden Paper Company was granted its corporate charter in 1864. The officers were Daniel Ashley, President and Director; S. Holman, Treasurer; Daniel H. Newton, Director; and John C. Newton, Director. William Whiting left the Holyoke Paper Company to become an Agent for the Hampden Paper Company.
The mill was constructed by the Newton brothers and was located on a 200-foot-by-400-foot parcel of land near the bank of the Connecticut River. An 1870 map shown below shows the plant location. The building was 3 stories above the basement and 84 feet by 122 feet. There were two 1-story wings, 25 feet by 100 feet and 32 feet by 100 feet.
In 1865, the plant built a 50-by-32-foot 3-story tenement building on (North) Summer Street for its employees. The plant had more orders than it could fill working a 24-hour daily schedule. The company was producing a ton and a half of collar paper each day, and had 7 engines in operation.
By October 1865, the company was the seventh-largest taxpayer in Holyoke and the third-largest among papermaking companies.
In 1866, the corporate officer structure had completely changed. Daniel H. Newton became the new President, and John C. Newton, the Treasurer. Moses Newton was Clerk and Plant Superintendent.
In 1870, the plant had 8 engines, 1 Jordan machine, and 3 Fourdrinier machines, and was producing 4 tons of collar and writing paper daily.
On March 27, 1870, a devastating fire destroyed the mill, except for the boiler room, the repair shop, and the office, where the safe and important company records were stored. The fire was first spotted coming from a rooftop vent. The cause was either the spontaneous combustion of rags used in papermaking or their ignition by hot steam pipes. The loss was estimated at $250,000 with approximately $200,000 covered by insurance.
Settling with the various insurance companies stretched into late summer, as at least 25 were involved. It was during the summer and fall that the Newtons rebuilt the mill. On March 31, 1871, Hampden Paper Company sold its properties to the Crocker Manufacturing Company, formed by Daniel P. Crocker of Fitchburg.
In October 1971, the contract to build a new building for the Hampden Paper Company was awarded to the Newton Brothers. By November 1871, 600,000 of the 1 million bricks needed for construction had been installed. The work was continuing to the third floor. The mill cost was $95,000. It was anticipated that the mill would be ready for production in March 1872.
In 1873, Hampden Paper Company was again listed as one of Holyoke's largest taxpayers. Research indicated that in 1871 and 1872, the Hampden Paper Company built a mill for the Beebe & Holbrook Company. I have included some information in the chronology that follows.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke, Massachusetts, A Case Study Of The Industrial Revolution in America, Constance McLaughlin Green, 1939, Yale University Press
History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, Louis H. Everts, 1879
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
The Story of Holyoke, Wyatt Harper, 1973
Registry of Deeds, Hampden County, Springfield, Massachusetts
