Several prominent paper mills were established in Holyoke during the latter half of the 20th century. Some of the earliest companies, such as Parsons Paper Company and the Whiting Paper Company, stood the test of time and were quite successful for many years. Today we learn about another of the early smaller companies, the Excelsior Paper Company, modestly successful for a time, and later falling on hard times.
Daniel Howe Newton and John Carter Newton constructed the future Excelsior Paper Mill in 1872. Papermakers Royal C. Dickinson and J. B. Warren purchased the facility on April 1, 1873, and operated the mill, named Excelsior Paper Co.
Nine months later, on January 1, 1874, Mr. Warren sold his interest to the new partnership, George R. Dickinson (25%) and Alfred N. Mayo (25%), along with Royal C. Dickinson (50%). At the time, the factory was producing up to two tons per day of book paper, newspaper, paper collar, and press paper. The plant generally employed from 40 to 50 workers.
The factory was located on the Connecticut River side of the Third Level Canal. The main building was 3 stories and ran along the river. The upper two stories contained two rag cutters and two dusters. The ground floor housed the engine room with its 4 800-pound engines. The mill had one 64-inch Fourdrinier machine, which Wikipedia generally describes as:
A Fourdrinier Machine uses a moving woven mesh to create a continuous paper web by filtering out fibers from a paper stock, producing a continuously moving wet mat of fiber. This is dried in the machine to produce a strong paper web.
In early 1875, the owners discussed the possibility of building a new paper mill along the second level canal near the Albion and Valley Paper Companies. As time passed, this plan never materialized.
In April 1881, Royal C. Dickinson died. Upon his death, his 50% ownership interest went to George Dickinson. Mr. Mayo sold his 25% to George Dickinson, who then became sole owner. George Dickinson sold the factory real estate to W. H. Wilkinson and then leased the property for 5 years with an option to buy it back.
Later, in October of that year, the owners formed a corporation with James L. Hodge of Holyoke as President and George R. Dickinson of Springfield as Treasurer.
On December 29, 1887, George R. Dickinson died after sustaining injuries from falling through a trap door several days earlier at A.F. Ball's Harness Shop. Since 1883, he was also the President and Treasurer of the George R. Dickinson Paper Company in Holyoke. More will be told about Mr. Dickinson and his other paper company in a future post.
In February 1888, John E. Clark, the brother-in-law of the late George Dickinson, purchased the Dickinson family's interest in the Excelsior Paper Co. Mr. Clark became President and Treasurer of the business, and owner of the real estate.
More information will be told in the concluding chapter.
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Genealogy Records and Price & Lee, Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Holyoke-Chicopee A Perspective, Ella Merkle Dicarlo, Book Press, Brattleboro, VT, 1982
Holyoke today: penned and pictured 1887, J. E. Griffin, publisher
Map of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Loomis & Kirtland, 1874
www.DigitalCommonwealth.org
Holyoke Public Library Local History Collection
Wikipedia
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