As I was preparing to post the story of the Platner & Porter Paper Mill, a thought came to mind when learning about the age of this business. Had the Platner-Porter Paper Mill started in Holyoke in the same year it began operations in Unionville, Connecticut, it would have been Holyoke’s first paper mill. Parson’s Paper was Holyoke’s first Paper Mill, opening in 1853. Since Platner & Porter had a long history in Connecticut, I’ll provide a brief summary here.
Samuel Porter owned the Platner & Porter paper mill in Unionville, Connecticut, from 1848 into the late 1870s. Unionville was located approximately 20 miles west of Hartford in the Farmington River Valley. The company had an excellent reputation for producing high-quality writing paper, often purchased by the U.S. Government.
In 1889, Platner & Porter was put up for sale. Under a reorganization in October 1889, experienced paper company executives and agents from Holyoke and Springfield controlled the new firm, which retained its name and Connecticut location. Some of the executives included Fred Goodhine, Superintendent of the Hampshire Paper Company, and Dwight W. Post, agent for the Beebe & Holbrook Paper Company, who became the company’s Assistant Treasurer.
Contractors from Holyoke excavated and constructed a brick-and-wood factory addition in Unionville. The work was expected to be completed for the factory’s reopening in mid-January 1890.
In 1899, the American Writing Paper Company (AWPCo) was formed, and the Platner & Porter paper mill was among the approximately 27 companies AWPCo absorbed. There were approximately 100 employees in what was one of the smallest concerns merged into the new business.
In 1931, after 83 years in Connecticut, Platner & Porter moved to Holyoke following the closure of the Unionville plant, which was demolished in 1933. Platner & Porter became a division of Parsons Paper, which was also part of AWPCo.
The Parsons No.1 plant was located near the Connecticut River and the dam. Another building, adjacent to Parsons and closer to the dam, was the former Mt. Tom Paper Company, constructed in 1866. The company was short-lived, closing in 1870. An underground tunnel connected the Parsons and Mt. Tom factories.
The remaining tenants of this factory over the years included the Felton Paper Company (1870-1874), the Hadley Falls Paper Company (1874-1880) and Parsons Paper (1880-1899). When AWPCo was formed, Parsons Paper sold the building to the paper trust in 1899.
Platner & Porter moved into what was known as the Little Mt. Tom Mill, so as not to be confused with a later company with a similar name that was under the umbrella of the AWPCo., the Mt. Tom Paper division. The latter iteration of AWPCo.’s Mt. Tom Paper division operated in the former Syms and Dudley Paper and Nonotuck Paper factories until December 1963, when the business closed.
The entire Little Mt. Tom Millfactory was renovated to meet the needs of Platner &.Porter. The company was known for producing coupon bonds. In June 1931, L. A. LaFrance Construction Company was hired to build the foundations for the beaters, washers and drainers.
In 1939, the plant resumed operations after a shutdown of unknown duration. The plant had rehired 25 employees at the time. Around 1944, the plant shut down for a final time. Several companies thereafter leased space in the mill. In 1967, the building was deemed too costly to repair. Lawler Construction Company was awarded the demolition contract with a bid of $11,500.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Google Maps, 2026
Unionville, Museum, Unionville, Connecticut
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