Chapin and Gould Paper Mills - Russell, MA
Posted by: 
nomadwillie
N 42° 13.282 W 072° 51.594
18T E 676626 N 4676571
The two building core of this mill complex was constructed of red brick in 1870. In 1947 a group of employees bought the company and renamed it Texon.
Waymark Code: WM161B9
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2022
Views: 0
At 17.9 m. is RUSSELL (town, alt. 266, pop. 1283, sett. 1782, incorp.1792). Here in 1858 the Chapin and Gould Paper Mills were established. These paper mills, with those in Woronoco and Westfield, are the chief support of the area.
American-Guide-Series - Massachusetts: a Guide to its Places and People, p.479
The two building core of this mill complex was constructed of red brick in 1870. A vertical turbine is located in the lower part of the upstream building. It is powered by the vertical 45-50 foot drop from the dam. The mill as pictured was not the first mill on this site. In 1818 a small cotton mill was here. The mill was purchased by Henry Gould and Charles Chapin in 1858 in which the built a new mill building and dam. That building burned in 1870, which were immediately replaced by the pictured mills. The complex continued to expand to 5 buildings, however some of the buildings have since been demolished.
In 1939, Dupont leased the buildings to produce Texon, a latex saturated paper product used in a variety of goods such as shoe innersoles and synthetic leather. In 1947 a group of employees bought the company and renamed it Texon. The company still exists today providing products used in footwear and consumer applications, such as fashion accessories, clothing, luggage, labels, tags and many home and office accessories.
This mill was particularly difficult to photograph since the mill sits below US20 and had to be taken on that road quickly. Not alot of shoulder room at this location