Pejepscot Paper Company
 View from Brunswick ca. 2021 | |
| Pulp | |
|---|---|
| Alternative names |
|
| Paper machine | |
| Current status | Standing, usage changed |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Structural system | Granite, Brick & wood |
| Location | 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Topsham, Maine |
| Current tenants | Sea Dog Brewing Company |
| Coordinates | 43°55′18″N 69°57′53″W / 43.92167°N 69.96472°W |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1868 |
| Employees |
|
| Floor count | 3 |
| Other dimensions |
|
| Cost | US$80,000 (1874) |
Pejepscot Paper Company | |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000192[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 17, 1974 |
The Pejepscot Paper Company mill building is a historic
Design
The Pejepscot Paper Company mill building is a historic paper mill that stands on a point projecting southward into the Androscoggin River, just east of the Frank J. Wood Bridge carrying U.S. Route 201 between Topsham and Brunswick, Maine. It is a large three storey brick building, with a gambrel roof and a granite foundation. The short end facing the river is eight bays wide, each bay consisting of a recessed panel housing windows set in segmental arch openings and topped by decorative arches. Near the center of the building, a five-story square tower rises to a shallow-pitch pyramidal roof.[2] The building is 250 feet (76 m) long, and 65 feet (20 m) wide.[3]
History
From 1868 to 1985, three different mills have operated in the Pejepscot Paper Company mill building. Currently it is used as office and retail space.
| Name | Start Date | End Date | Years Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsham Paper Company | 1868 | 1874 | 6 |
| H.&A.W. Parsons | 1874 | 1875 | 1 |
| Bowdoin Paper Manufacturing Company | 1875 | 1887 | 12 |
| Pejepscot Paper Company | 1887 | 1985 | 93 |
| Fore River Company | 1998 | Present |
The mill was built in the year 1868 and is an instance of Maine's 19th century wood pulp mills. It was under the management of Sanford A. Perkins for the Topsham Paper Company, and Samuel R. Jackson was the president of the corporation.[3][2]
The Topsham Paper Company utilized
The Topsham Paper Company was purchased at auction by W.H.&A.W. Parsons on September 16, 1874, for US$80,000. The following year, February 19, 1875, W.H.&A.W. Parsons was incorporated into the Bowdoin Paper Manufacturing Company, with a capital not to exceed US$150,000. The mill contained, at that time, one Fourdrinier machine, four roll engines, one patent Jordan engine, one rotary, and two tub bleachers.[3][2]
In 1887 the Pejepscot Paper Company bought the mill and doubled the equipment. The mill then contained two Fourdrinier machines, nine roll engines, two patent engines, two rotary and two tub bleachers. by 1878 the company was producing 5 short tons (4.5 t) of paper daily. The company fitted a machine shop, with wood and
By 1985, when the company closed its doors, they had only 13 employees. By this time the building was used as a paper finishing facility where paper rolls were converted into sheets for construction paper, art paper and paper for business forms.[4]
From 1985 to 1986 the Hearst Company used the mill to store paper, but from 1986 until 1998 the building was vacant. In 1998 the Fore River Company out of Portland, Maine bought the building, renovated it for office space, and leased the old mill to the Sea Dog Brewing Company, who in turn, added a patio overlooking the Androscoggin River.[5]
On September 17, 1974, the Pejepscot Paper Company was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System – (#74000192)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Shettleworth Jr., Earle G. (December 1973). "NRHP Nomination". National Park Service. pp. 2–3. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Wheeler, George Augustus & Wheeler, Henry Warren (1878). History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine. Harvard Library: A. Mudge & Sons, Printers. pp. 608–609 – via Google Books. p. Inside Front Cover - Pejepscot Historical Society 2nd ed. (1974):
(This book) has long been considered the authoritative text on the three towns through 1878.
- ^ "Century Old Paper-Mill Closes its Doors in Topsham". Morning Sentinel. Associated Press. December 7, 1985. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Kearns, Michelle (October 23, 1998). "New Owner Delights in Vision for Old Mill". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
