Townsend Harbor, Massachusetts facts for kids
Townsend Harbor is a small village located in Townsend, Massachusetts. It is known for its connection to the Squannacook River, which forms a pond called Harbor Pond thanks to a dam. This village played an important role in the history of a unique material called leatherboard.
In 1873, two brothers, Jonas Spaulding and Waldo Spaulding, started a mill in Townsend Harbor. They made a new material called leatherboard. This material was created by mixing leather scraps with wood pulp. It was a strong and useful product. Their company was known as Spaulding Brothers. Over time, their family business grew and expanded to other places, including New Hampshire and western New York.
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The Spaulding Family Business Grows
Jonas Spaulding wanted to make even more leatherboard. Around 1893, he opened a second mill in Milton, New Hampshire. This allowed his three grown sons, Leon C., Huntley N., and Rolland H. Spaulding, to join the family business. They formed a new company called J. Spaulding and Sons.
Jonas Spaulding also started building a third leatherboard mill in North Rochester, New Hampshire. Sadly, he passed away shortly before it began making products in 1900.
Expanding the Company's Reach
The three Spaulding sons were very successful. In 1902, they bought the original Spaulding Brothers mill in Townsend Harbor. This mill then became part of their company, J. Spaulding and Sons. Later, they moved their main offices to Rochester, New Hampshire.
The brothers continued to expand their business. In 1911, they built a new type of mill in Tonawanda, New York. This mill made a material called vulcanized fibre, which is a tough, paper-like material. In 1913, they built a fourth leatherboard mill in Milton, New Hampshire.
Becoming Spaulding Fibre Company
The company continued as J. Spaulding and Sons until about 1924. Then, they changed its name to the Spaulding Fibre Company. This new name better showed the types of products they made. The company's main offices moved to Tonawanda, New York, because that plant became their largest operation.
The Spaulding Fibre Company grew a lot. In the 1960s, it reached its busiest time. They added new products like Spauldite, which was similar to another material called Bakelite, and a type of fiberglass tube.
End of an Era in Townsend Harbor
The leatherboard mill in Townsend Harbor stopped working in 1957. This happened after the last two surviving Spaulding siblings, Huntley Spaulding and his sister Marion S. Potter, passed away. Before their deaths, these two siblings had set up a special charitable trust. This trust took over the Spaulding Fibre Company and sold off all its parts within 15 years.
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