ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Bellows Falls’ rich industrial history and vision for the future will be celebrated in the dedication of the recently installed Robertson Paper Mill Historic Interpretive Kiosk, presented by Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation (BFADC) and the Town of Rockingham. The public is warmly invited to the dedication, which will take place on Wednesday, June 5, at 5 p.m., at the former location of Robertson Paper, 21 Island Street on The Island in Bellows Falls.
Coinciding with the 2024 Vermont Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference held in Bellows Falls, the brief dedication will highlight a marker dedicated to the history of “Robbie Paper,” assembled almost entirely from materials reclaimed from the demolition of the mill in 2019. The event will also feature an installation of paper lanterns decorated by town residents with paper salvaged from the mill. The effort shines a light on the powerful, storied past and bright potential economic development future for this prime location.
Allocated in a cleanup grant from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds, the interpretive kiosk was conceptualized by local creative team Creative Catalyst Communications in conjunction with grantee and project sponsor Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation (BFADC) as a “Window on the Past,” to give viewers the experience of looking through a window at the “ghost” of the building where it once stood. Working with local artist and blacksmith Rich Gillis prior to demolition, the team tagged materials to be saved from the site and wrote them into the demolition request for proposals and resulting contract to be utilized in the design and production of the kiosk. The kiosk includes a bench created from a granite window lintel, and iron support structures from the mill. A historic image of the building featured in the window of the kiosk took local craftsman Nick Moorehouse over ten hours to engrave.
In addition to celebrating the historic role that Robertson Paper played in the local community and regional economy, the effort contributes to critical placemaking on Bellows Falls Island by encouraging additional pedestrian and bicycling activity with the “Walk the Rock” program, to meet “healthy communities” goals per the Rockingham Town Plan and Island Growth Plan, while also helping to create a positive environment for economic development growth opportunities at the site and in downtown Bellows Falls.
The project originated as a part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Targeted Brownfields Assessment Program to mitigate toxic soil left behind from manufacturing days, deeming necessary the demolition of the mill. With a goal of redeveloping the property for economic development, the property clean-up endeavor required a concerted effort from property owners BFADC/Island Holdings LLC, Town of Rockingham Revolving Loan Fund, US EPA, Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Vermont Community Development Program, Vermont Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, Windham County Economic Development Program, and Windham Regional Commission Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund.
The History of “Robbie Paper”
Bellows Falls was one of Vermont’s largest industrial centers, known for its papermaking industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Robertson Paper was the town’s longest-running manufacturer, established in 1881 and closing in the 1980s.
The original building on this site was built in 1891 for papermaking machinery producer C. W. Osgood & Son. Robertson Paper, founded elsewhere on the island, grew into one of the largest waxed paper manufacturers in the country and, in 1902, purchased the building on this site which had, by then, become Bellows Falls Machine Company. Built of brick, the largest building in the complex was 272 feet long by 60 feet wide. It had 34 bays in the street facade, segmental arched window openings, and a monitor at the roof.
At least seven other structures were built on the site over time, including a machine shop where parts were made onsite for machinery used in the production process. The Bellows Falls Times reported that the machine shop produced all the parts that would turn out “a complete machine” that made paper by the “the pulp or sulphite process, from the wood to the finished product.”
“Robbie Paper” remained in business until 1987, becoming one of Vermont’s oldest paper manufacturers, having occupied this site for over 80 years. In 1990, the complex earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, and from 1992-2014, a portion of the property was used by another paper company.
However, decades of industrial activity had contaminated the soil, and years of neglect left the buildings unsafe and beyond rehabilitation, hindering redevelopment efforts. Therefore, the difficult decision was made to demolish the structures.
Many materials were salvaged during the demolition process, including over 100 tons of paper, as well as bricks, granite window lintels, iron I-beams, and rosette stabilizers – some of which were specifically earmarked for and incorporated into the kiosk.
Materials harvested from the site include 100 tons of abandoned paper, which was recycled; bricks and granite window lintels, which were sold to a company for re-sale or given as souvenirs to area residents with a family connection to the mill and incorporated into the kiosk site design; lighting fixtures doors, and windows, which were sold or given away; 10 tons of metal, which was recycled; some historic machinery and factory components. which were donated to local museums to preserve history; wood (heart pine, chestnut, eastern white pine, and spruce rife with bolt holes); and leftover demolition debris, which was sold to be ground up for further use.
While minimal waste reached landfills, the total cost of the cleanup was around $1.2 million, allowing for a variety of opportunities for healthy and vibrant redevelopment to bolster economic development in downtown Bellows Falls. For more information, go to http://www.rockinghamvt.org/papermill, or contact Maia Segura at 206-898-7090.