In 1857, Mack's old mill was converted to paper making, and seven years after that it was purchased by William H. Barnes. Barnes had been born in Connecticut and had worked in paper mills across New England and the mid-Atlantic before coming to Michigan in 1863. With his brothers, Cyrus and Charles, he operated a paper wholesale business in Detroit. In 1864, William H. Barnes moved to Rochester to operate the paper mill on behalf of the Barnes Brothers firm. The Barnes mill was very successful and was an important employer in Rochester for more than a century. The company took a hit in 1875, however, when a local woman named Ann Strong who had a grudge against William Barnes set fire to the mill early on a Sunday morning. The building burned to the ground and Barnes suffered a loss of approximately $32,000. He immediately rebuilt upon the old foundation a mill of brick and slate, and it is this building that is shown in the accompanying photograph.
After the death of William Barnes in 1903, the paper mill operated under several different names and owners. It was for a time known as the Peninsular Paper Company, the Rochester Paper Company, and the James River Company. The paper mill is remembered as the only Rochester industry to operate continuously throughout the years of the Great Depression, offering much-needed jobs for local residents when other factories were shuttered.
In April 2002, the paper company ceased operations, ending a 127-year run of paper making at the site. The property was sold for redevelopment, and in 2005 the old mill was razed; 161 years after Stephen Mack established the first mill at that location, the paper mill passed into the pages of Vanished Rochester.
This postcard view from the collection of the Rochester Hills Public Library shows the paper mill as it looked about 1907.
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Where exactly was the mill located? There are 2 nearby vacant lots. Do you know if it was site A or B on the following map link:
ReplyDeleteMap
Thanks!
Alex
10StopTours.com
The mill was located at site B on your map.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe the Mill closed up shop nearly 10 years ago. Certainly not the most aesthetic of Rochester's historical buildings, but one's livelihood takes the place of physical appearance: a couple of friends, one with over 25 years of service at the mill, lost their jobs when it shut down. It was a tough thing to swallow.
ReplyDeleteI recall being over at some friends of mine back in the summer of 1972, when their father packed us all into the van to see a fire that was in progress at the paper mill (they were a family of ambulance-chasers, as I recall, and I unfortunately got caught in the crossfire on more than one occassion). No idea why I remember this particular episode - from my understanding, there were a number of fires at the old mill.
John Mohr
Best Job Ever.
ReplyDeleteWorked here the last couple years it was open. To make note as history went, The mill, was producing paper for aircraft fuel and oil filters for our military, along with many other types of paper, in the closing years.
They were bought out by a German company, Fibermark, and told its all good, your jobs are safe. Then six months later, they annouced that production would be moving to Germany.
The Mill was east of the bridge, behind/east of where the new Condo's are at, where the river bends to the north.
I have several hours of the mill while still in production, filmed in the last year it was open. Also caught a good resin fire to, which was semi frequent when you had highly flamable liquids passing within inches of the high heat oven.
The best times were spent sitting on the roof, upon the smoke stack, looking at the citys veiw in the wee hours of the morning, with the wind cutting in.
The Guys and gals there were the best! Management - Richard, Rick, Paul, Tom / Backtenders - Ray, Chriss, Chriss, / (motor cycle madman) Goordy / Boilerman - Dennis,
mainy people, 1sthand threw sparehands - Dave H., Roy, Chriss, Martin, Randy, Mike, Darrel, Dave in Lab, and many many more. Only way to remember them all is to watch the movies. One day.
It was one hard job, but one that did become a family, even if at times, it was a stressful enviroment to work in.
Was it any wonder Daimler did the same thing to Chyrsler a couple year later? Nope! Now a decade later, you can see that was the plan. Buy up the patent rights to the products we produce, and move production away. Any wonder why German economy is number one in the world right now?
Not hating, still just bitter some of the good times are now gone.
Miss you all, Miss you Mill!
Worked here 1975-1976 and hard work it was. Hated it was mandatory you had to stay over 4-hours if your replacement did not show. Always seemd my didn't need the money because he would miss at least 1-2 shifts per week. Lunch or breaks were whenever you could get one in....as long as the paper didn't break going thru the rollers!
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