George C. Gill Paper Company, div. of AWP Co. (Pt. 2- 1900-1920)

A new era had begun at the turn of the 20th century. The American Writing Paper Company (AWP), a trust that controlled most of U.S. paper production, owned 16 paper mills in Holyoke. 

From the outset, several former paper company owners recognized that the company was poorly managed. George C. Gill severed his relationship with the conglomerate a year after its formation. He cited differences in managerial direction. In 1904, Leon Crafts, who succeeded George Gill as manager of the Gill division, also quit. He had been with the George C. Gill Paper Co. since its inception. The Holyoke Transcript reported, "He already accepted a position which he considers better than the one he retires from."

In 1907, the paper-making industry was hard hit by declining demand. 8 factories had shut down, including the George C. Gill division of AWP.

In 1916, AWP decided to place more emphasis on manufacturing book paper. To that end, AWP converted the George C. Gill division to produce only this paper. The factory had to be altered to accommodate new machinery. They removed and rebuilt some walls to make room for the machinery. 

At one end of the building, a 60' by 200' machine room was constructed. 3 machines were removed to other plants to make way for a 152" book paper machine with capacity to produce about 40 tons of book paper stock daily. This was the largest machine of its kind in the country and cost $150,000. Once the work was complete, the plant was expected to be one of the country's finest and best-outfitted book paper facilities. Casper Ranger was awarded the quarter-million-dollar construction contract.

In 1918, AWP surveyed and cataloged its employees by age. James Dakin, who worked at the Gill division, was the oldest employee at 81 years. The company also had 25 employees older than 70.

Also in 1918, the 152" Moore & White machine manufactured in Pennsylvania and installed during the 1916 plant expansion set a new record for paper production. The machine, capable of producing sheets up to 130 inches wide, produced 70,900 pounds of paper in a 22-and-a-half-hour period. It exceeded the previous mark of 62,900 pounds. The Superintendent and Plant Manager expected to establish another new record by year-end.

Because of another recession in the paper trade, the plant shut down from November 11, 1918, to August 25, 1919.

The final chapter will carry us through for the remaining years of the Gill Div. of AWP.

Citations: 

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

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

Holyoke-Chicopee: A Perspective, Ella Merkel DiCarlo, Publisher, Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript-Telegram, 1982

Holyoke, Massachusetts, A Case History of the Industrial Revolution in America, Constance McLaughlin Green, Yale University Press, 1939

Massachusetts Cultural Research Information System, Secretary of State's Office, Boston, Massachusetts

History of Massachusetts Histories, Orra L. Stone, 1930

Richard's Atlas of the City of Holyoke, Massachusetts, Richards Map Co., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1911

The former Winona Paper Co. (1880-1891) became the 

home of Chemical Paper Mill No. 2 (1891-1892) and then

George C. Gill Paper Co. (1893-1899)

George C. Gill Paper Co., div. of American Writing Paper Co.

The plant was located between the Second Level Canal and the Connecticut River,

 in the general area of Mosher and Albion Streets.