S. D. Warren Paper Mill
Encyclopedia
Presumpscot River
The Presumpscot River is a river located in Cumberland County, Maine. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake.-Course:The river flows through the communities of Standish, Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Portland, and Falmouth before emptying into Casco Bay at Falmouth...
in the 1730s in a rural and fairly unpopulated area. In 1854, that small paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
, in the soon-to-be established town of Westbrook, Maine
Westbrook, Maine
Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 17,494 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
, was purchased for $28,000 by Samuel Dennis Warren. The mill was named Grant, Warren and Company. In that year, the mill was only running two paper machines and had a production output of about 3,000 pounds of paper per day. Nine years later in 1863, an additional machine was added to the mill, and the production increased to 11,000 pounds per day.
In 1854, paper was made by beating down rags and using the pulp from the rags. In 1867, after the mill changed its name to S.D. Warren Paper Mill Company, Warren decided to add wood fibers with rags fibers for paper, making it the first mill in the United States to do so. The mill became the largest in the world by doing so. By 1880, the mill produced 35,000 pounds of paper per day.
After S. D. Warren’s death in 1888, the mill continued to grow through the 20th century, employing close to 3,000 Westbrook residents.
In 1995, SAPPI Limited
Sappi
Sappi Limited is a global pulp and paper company group.Sappi is a producer of coated fine paper and chemical cellulose. The company conducts its business through three business units: Sappi Fine Paper, Sappi Forest Products and Sappi Trading....
, a paper company out of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
paid $300 million for the mill, and outsourced most of the work in the mill to South Africa. The mill now only employs about 300 people, but continues to be a presence in the city of Westbrook.
Mill Rail Facilities
Cumberland Mills was served by the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad (later Maine Central RailroadMaine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
) and the Portland and Rochester Railroad (later Boston and Maine Railroad
Boston and Maine Railroad
The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century...
). Horse drawn wagons transferred freight between the mill and the railroads. The wagons rode on gauge rails after 1874. Steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s replaced the horses in 1895. The first three locomotives weighed 7 tons each, and carried 200 gallons of water. The locomotives were originally oil fueled; but were converted to burn coal after three employees died in an oil fire during refueling in 1921. Pulpwood was transported into the mill in 20-foot-long cars carrying 2 cords of pulpwood. There were 110 pulpwood cars in 1938 and the mill consumed 180 cords of pulpwood per day. Narrow gauge locomotives transferred 250 tons of coal per day to the mill boilers and transported ash from the boilers to a disposal pile.
The mill also used standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
locomotives after spur tracks
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
were extended onto the mill property. The last standard gauge locomotive was sold to the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
when Portland Terminal Company
Portland Terminal Company
The Portland Terminal Company was a terminal railroad notable for its control of switching activity for the Maine Central and Boston & Maine railroads in the Maine cities of Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook.- History :...
took over millyard switching work in 1929. The last gauge locomotives were sold in 1949 after conveyor systems were constructed to transport materials formerly moved in narrow-gauge cars.
Locomotives
| Number | Gauge | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldwin Locomotive Works Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
0-4-0T | 1895 | 14283 | reboilered 1926 sold 1949 New Jersey amusement park to Boothbay Railway Museum 1971 | |
| 2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
0-4-0T | 1896 | 14522 | reboilered 1926 sold 1949 New Jersey amusement park to Boothbay Railway Museum 1971 | |
| 3 | Baldwin Locomotive Works Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of... |
0-4-0T | 1905 | dismantled for parts to keep #1 & #2 operating | ||
| 4 | standard | 0-4-0 | ex-Boston and Maine Railroad Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century... acquired 1896 retired 1910 |
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| 5 | standard | 0-4-0 | ex-Boston and Maine Railroad Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Corporation , known as the Boston and Maine Railroad until 1964, was the dominant railroad of the northern New England region of the United States for a century... #465 |
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| 6 | standard | |||||
| 7 | standard | 0-4-0 | ex-Pennsylvania Railroad Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.... |
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| 8 | Davenport Locomotive Works Davenport Locomotive Works The Davenport Locomotive Works, of Davenport, Iowa, USA built locomotives from 1902 until 1956. The company acquired the locomotive business of H. K... |
0-4-0T | 1914 | |||
| 9 | standard | American Locomotive Company American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:... |
0-6-0 | 1924 | sold to Maine Central Railroad Maine Central Railroad The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S... #189 in 1929 |