American Tissue Mills (Pt. 3 1930-1941)

Benjamin F. Perkins Jr. and J. Lewis Perkins Jr. continued to lead the American Tissue Mills through the 1930s.

The expanding American Tissue Mills reopened its Cushman mill in 1930. The factory had been closed for about two years, but there was a demand for paper dolls and other novelties, which the mill would produce. The factory was adjacent to the New London Northern line of the Central Vermont Railroad. The dam that provided power on the Mill stream was no longer there, but there was sufficient alternative power to run the factory. Wax paper was no longer produced at the plant because that division had previously been moved to Holyoke. 

In 1931, W. Henry Austill of 570 Appleton Street was named plant Superintendent of the Canadian American Tissue Mills plant. He was previously employed by the Schrafft Candy Company and the Millers Falls Tool Company.

Management at the American Tissue Mills promoted work-from-home production for several of its novelty items. The work required skill and dexterity, and attracted many working mothers.

In July 1932, an assortment of American Tissue Mills products was displayed at a 3-day exhibition at the Hotel Nonotuck in Holyoke. The company subsequently opened a display room at its Crescent Street factory complex in 1934. All the company’s goods were placed on racks in the second-floor display room. which adjoined Benjamin F. Perkins’ office. The room, which cost $10,000 to construct, was illuminated with 162 lights, equipped with modern chairs and tables, and air-conditioned at a comfortable 72°. The room was open to the public daily.

In 1937, the company moved its merchandising display division from Chicago to a 2,500-square-foot space within its Holyoke mill.

To illustrate the company’s sales growth, the American Tissue Mills 1937 sales were 3 times those of the previous year.

In 1941, the company purchased the American Sanitary Products Company of Ware, Massachusetts. The tissue manufacturing company had been located in Ware for two years. Machinery and equipment would be moved to Holyoke and set up in space previously used for storage. 30 jobs were created as a result of the acquisition and move.

We are arriving at the homestretch in the story of the American Tissue Mills. The Perkins family was also operating B. F. Perkins & Son in Chicopee, which produced paper and textile machinery and equipment. The growth, expansion, and acquisitions were a major undertaking for the Perkins family, and much credit is due to its long-trusted, very capable employee support system in both companies.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.

Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories