Plainwell in Allegan County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Michigan Paper Company Mill

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 30, 2023

1. Michigan Paper Company Mill Marker

Marker marks Michigan Historic Local Site No. 2273.

Inscription. 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.

Erected 2015 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. This marker is the property of the State of Michigan. (Marker Number 2273.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 26, 1886.

Location. 42° 26.694′ N,

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85° 38.588′ W. Marker is in Plainwell, Michigan, in Allegan County. It can be reached from North Main Street just north of East Bannister Street, on the left when traveling north. Park in the city hall parking lot at Fannie Pell Park and cross the pedestrian bridge to the mill. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 211 N Main St, Plainwell MI 49080, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Michigan,

specifically in Greater Grand Rapids,

and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Soule Memorial Fountain (about 800 feet away); Otsego Methodist Church (approx. 2.8 miles away); Welcome to the City of Otsego (approx. 3 miles away); Otsego Civil War Memorial (approx. 3.1 miles away); Welcome to Pine Creek

Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 30, 2023

2. Michigan Paper Company Mill Marker

It is at the new entrance to the mill. The pedestrian bridge crosses the millrace (western) course of the Kalamazoo River.

(approx. 4.7 miles away); Cooper Congregational Church (approx. 4.9 miles away); The Kalamazoo Region (approx. 6.2 miles away); DeLano Homestead (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Plainwell.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Early History of Plainwell (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. The Plainwell Paper Company complex had its entrance at 200 Allegan Street (Michigan Route 89), but that entrance and parking lot is now private property.

Regarding Michigan Paper Company Mill. Public access to the mill is available weekdays.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry for Michigan Paper Company Mill Historic District. Excerpt:

The original 1887 mill was an L-shaped building, consisting of a one-story machine room measuring 32 feet by 130 feet and a two-story main building measuring 46 feet by 98 feet. The machine room was demolished in 1906, but the main building remains. It was converted into offices in 1975, and is now designated as building 19 and 20. ...

... Benjamin F. Lyon persevered, and in 1872 formed
Photographed by J. J. Prats

3. Michigan Paper Company Mill
This is a stitched panorama, and shows some distortion. The roof line on the left is actually flat, not arched.
a partnership with Hale W. Page, another Fitchburg paper mill operator. The two constructed another mill near downtown Plainwell, which had just recently been connected to the Michigan Central Railroad. In 1887, Page formed another partnership with local Plainwell businessmen, and founded the Michigan Paper Company. They constructed a paper mill on this site, next to Lyon's 1872 mill.

(Submitted on August 5, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 888 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 5, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.