American Writing Paper Company Records, 1851-1960

The collection is open for research.

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Historical Note

The American Writing Paper Company in Holyoke, Massachusetts incorporated and began operations in 1899. Sixteen of its mills were in Holyoke, comprising over half of the mills owned and operated by the newly-formed trust. At the time of its incorporation, the trust controlled 75% of the total United States fine paper output. During its history, the American Writing Paper Company twice declared bankruptcy, experienced labor strikes, and reorganized. In 1962, it was re-named the Holyoke Shares Incorporated and, in 1970, was completely liquidated.

Mills began appearing along the banks of the Connecticut River after the Holyoke dam and canal system implementation in 1848. The first paper mill was established in Holyoke in 1853. In 1873, 15 paper mills operated with capacity of 48.5 tons per day and by 1897, 26 mills operated with increased capacity of 320 tons per day. Holyoke became known as the "Paper City of the World." The paper making industry flourished in Holyoke due to several factors, including a steady and plentiful water supply for powering the mills, access to water that did not require chemical treatment to be used in the manufacturing process, and the presence of textile mills nearby providing regular supplies of rags necessary for the manufacture of rag content papers.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Records in this collection pertain primarily to the corporate history, operations, business transactions, labor concerns, and organizational structure of the American Writing Paper Company Records include board of directors' minutes, by-laws, blueprints, land transactions, merger agreements, and printed material, with the bulk of the collection comprised of labor files (1920-1966) including contracts, correspondence, grievances, and negotiations. The principle strengths of the collection are in areas of labor relations and collective bargaining. Absent in this collection are labor records from the first twenty years of American Writing Paper Company during which several strikes occurred.

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Search Terms

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into four series:

• Series 1. Organization and Administration (1899-1937)
• Series 2. Executive (1900-1941, 1951)
• Series 3. Labor (1936-1960)
• Series 4. Publication and Photos (1919-1938)

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Series 1. Organization and Administration 1899-1937

Official documents. legal papers, certificates, property descriptions and locations, board of directors votes and minutes, executive and advisory minutes, correspondence, and reincorporation minutes comprise this series.

Series 2. Executive 1900-1941, 1951

Series 2 is comprised of annual reports, legal and property records, official documents, legal papers, correspondence, real estate transfers, foreclosures, blueprints, and insurance forms. Notable in this series are the drawings and diagrams of dandy rolls and property blueprints.

Series 3. Labor 1936-1960

Divided into Master Labor files chronologically arranged and Labor Subject files, Series 3 comprises newspaper clippings, correspondence, labor agreements, contracts, and grievances. Material related to labor relations, union negotiation, and collective bargaining is notable in this series.

Chronologically arranged.

Series 4. Publications and Photographs 1919-1938

Pamphlets, publications, sales catalogs, and a postage stamp comprise Series 4. Of note are the "Eagle A" pamphlets that contain names, photographs, company history, and social events, and black and white photographs of paper mills and machinery.

Series 1. Organization and Administration 1899-1937

Series 2. Executive 1900-1941, 1951

Series 3. Labor 1936-1960

Chronologically arranged.

Series 4. Publications and Photographs 1919-1938