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Michigan Paper Company Mill

On January 26, 1886, twenty-five businessmen founded the Michigan Paper Company. Daniel Albertson, a mill designer from Kalamazoo, built the mill complex using slow-burn construction methods. Supports were made of concrete, steel or timber. If ignited, the heavy timber floors would also burn slowly. Production began in August 1887. During the next twenty years, the number of buildings here doubled. By 1912, the company had added two more 130-foot machines. Production grew from eight tons to fifty tons daily. Ownership changed through the years until 2000, when the mill closed. In 2006, the City of Plainwell acquired the 36-acre site. In 2011, the Michigan Paper Company Mill Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Plaque via Michigan History Center

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