List of mills in Holyoke, Massachusetts facts for kids

Holyoke, Massachusetts, was first planned as a big center for making things, especially cloth. Even though some people thought making paper wasn't a good idea, by 1885, Holyoke was the biggest paper producer in the United States! Before 1920, many paper mills here made 80% of the writing paper used in the country. Holyoke also had the world's largest silk and alpaca wool factories.

The city was home to a famous company called D. H. & A. B. Tower, which designed at least 25 mills just in Holyoke. Many old mills were lost to fires or torn down, but some have been fixed up and are used for new things today.

Mills Still Standing Today

This section lists some of the old factory buildings in Holyoke that are still around. Many of them have been changed and are used for different purposes now.

	Name	Image	Built	Location	What it was / What it is now
1	American Pad and Paper			88 Winter Street	This was the first main factory for Ampad, a company that made pads and paper.
2	Beebe & Holbrook Mills		c. 1871	380 Dwight Street	Designed by Ashley B. Tower. Part of it burned down, but a power building still works for the local electric company. It was recently home to The Canal Gallery.
3	Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates Mill No. 4		1923	63 Jackson Street	Started as a cotton mill for Farr Alpaca. Later owned by Berkshire Hathaway and used by American Pad and Paper.
4	Buchanan & Bolt Building/Holyoke Wire Works		c. 1901	60 Appleton Street	This factory made and wove wire. Today, it's used by Russell-Zuhl Petrified Wood.
5	Chemical Paper Manufacturing Company		1880	210–240 South Water Street	This mill made fine writing paper. It was designed by D. H. & A. B. Tower. Today, it's a factory for Hazen Paper Company.
6	Clinton Silk Mill		c. 1865	58 North Canal Street	This mill was part of the American Thread Company. After 1933, it became Clinton Silk Mills and made silk for the Allies during World War II. Since 1976, Hadley Printing has used the building.
7	Crocker-McElwain Paper No. 1		c. 1885	102 Cabot Street	Originally built for new companies. It made fine writing paper and was part of the American Writing Paper Company. It was also where Thaddeus Cahill's telharmonium (an early electronic music instrument) was made. Today, it's part of FLN-Mar Rubber & Plastics.
8	D. MacKintosh & Sons/The Wherehouse			109 Lyman Street	This was a cotton mill, then a factory for The Electric Game Company. Now, it's used by The Wherehouse for shops and storage.
9	Eureka Blank Book		1890, 1910	108–110 Winter Street	This building was used by a builder called Eureka Lab Book until 2017.
10	Farr Alpaca Company Building #7		c. 1915	101 Cabot Street	This building was turned into apartments around 1988.
11	Farr Alpaca Company Building #8		c. 1915	108 Cabot Street	This building now has the Winter Palace Theatre and Ballroom. The top floor used to be home to Paper City Brewery.
12	Franklin Paper Mill		c. 1867	150 Middle Water Street	This mill was built by Newton Bros. and is now home to United Paper Box (Uni-Pac).
13	General Electric Building		c. 1930	60 Jackson Street	Started as a mill and offices for Farr Alpaca. General Electric bought it for wire production. Today, G & G Restaurant Equipment uses it.
14	George R. Dickinson Company		1882	81 Sargeant Street	Designed by D. H. & A. B. Tower. It's now part of the FLN-Mar Rubber & Plastics factory.
15	Goetz Silk Mill		1911, 1919	642 South Summer Street	This mill was built by Casper Ranger Construction Co. Today, Valley Green, Inc., a seed company, uses the building.
16	Hadley Thread Company Mills		1863	56 Canal Street	Part of the American Thread Company. Later used by Graham Manufacturing and Conklin Office Furniture.
17	Hampden Glazed Paper and Card Company		1882	100 Water Street	Designed by D. H. & A. B. Tower. This was the last Holyoke mill still used by its original company, Hampden Paper Company, until 2020.
18	Japanese Tissue Mills/Perkins Mill		c. 1899	12 Crescent Street	Started by B. F. Perkins Company. Later known as American Tissue Mills. Today, it's used as a warehouse.
19	Judd Paper Company		1923	92 Race Street	Designed by George P. B. Alderman. In 2012, it was turned into an entertainment place, restaurant, and workshop called Gateway City Arts.
20	Livingston Worsted Mills		1934	11 Berkshire Street	This mill made wool. After it closed, Kruger Tissue Paper briefly used it. Today, it's known as the SulCo Warehouse Building.
21	Lyman Mills		c. 1854	4 Open Square Way	This mill processed cotton for textiles. It's the only mill in the city built exactly to the original plans of the Hadley Falls Company. Now, it's called Open Square.
22	Massasoit Paper Mill		1873	380R Dwight Street	Also known as Massasoit Division of American Writing Paper Company. Parts of it were torn down after 1957, but it was fixed up in 2019 for shops.
23	Merrick Thread Mill, No. 2			195 Appleton Street	This building was a mill and office. Half of it burned down in 1993.
24	Newton Paper Company Mill			200 South Water Street	Built by Newton Bros. It's now a paper recycling plant for Sonoco.
25	Norman Paper Company Mill		1892	5-13 Appleton Street	This mill made fine writing paper and was designed by D. H. & A. B. Tower.
26	Prentiss Wire Mill/Holyoke Die Cut Card Building		c. 1911, 1917	439 Dwight Street	Originally built by the George W. Prentiss Wire Company. Later, Holyoke Die Cut Card Co. used it.
27	RenCo Building		1920	728 Main Street	Built by New England Tire & Rubber Company. Reynolds Manufacturing Co. (RenCo.) bought it and made notebooks. Holyoke Public Schools bought it in 2007 for supplies and offices.
28	Riverside Mill No. 2		1867	1 Cabot Street	This was an independent paper company. It later joined the American Writing Paper Company system and became home to National Blank Book. Today, Specialty Loose Leaf uses it.
29	Valley Mill			4 Valley Mill Road	This mill made fine writing paper as the Valley Paper Company. Now, it's used as offices for Western Mass Elder Care.
30	The Wauregan		1879	420 Dwight Street	Built by Newton Bros. It's now used by the Holyoke Creative Arts Center and for workshops.
31	Whiting Paper No. 1			28 Gatehouse Road	This is one of three original mills used by Whiting Paper. It's now owned by James Curran and The Wherehouse.

See also

• Holyoke Canal System
• Holyoke Dam
• List of mills in Fall River, Massachusetts
• List of mills in New Bedford, Massachusetts
• List of mills in Oldham

Images for kids

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  Albion Paper Mill, built in 1869, was one of the earliest designs by David H. Tower. It was torn down in 2018.

• Baker-Vawter Company.jpg

  The Baker-Vawter Company building, built in 1885, made loose-leaf binders. It was demolished in 2005.

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  The Deane Steam Works, later part of Worthington Corporation, was demolished in 2019.

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  Farr Alpaca Company Building #2, built around 1894, was torn down after 1955.

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  The main building of the Farr Alpaca Company, built around 1905, was gone before 2007.

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  Germania Woolen Mills, built in 1863, was a large wool factory. It closed in 1934.

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  The Holyoke Envelope Company, built around 1889, later became part of the United States Envelope Company. It was gone after 1957.

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  The Keating Wheel Company factory, built around 1895, made bicycles. It was gone after 1957.

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  The Linden Mill, built in 1892, was part of the American Writing Paper Company. It was torn down around 1979.

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  The New York Woolen Mill, built in 1864, later became Connor Bros. It was gone before 1957.

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  Parsons Paper No. 1, built around 1852, was originally a flour mill before becoming a paper mill. It was gone after 1957.

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  Parsons Paper No. 2, built in 1888, was the last paper producer in Holyoke until 2005. It burned down in 2008.

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  The Syms & Dudley Mill, built in 1881, was designed by Ashley B. Tower. It was torn down around 2011.

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  Whiting Paper No. 2, built in 1873, burned down in 1964.

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  The William Skinner and Sons Mill was once the largest silk mill in the world. It was demolished in 1980.

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  Winona Paper Company Mill No. 2, built in 1880, was designed by D. H. & A. B. Tower. It was torn down around 2014.