The Bucksport Paper Mill

Once, for the better part of a century, at the mouth of the Penobscot River watershed halfway up the coast of Maine — called “Downeast,” there was a small town about which it was said that chances were high that a day didn’t pass in the life of an American reader when he or she didn’t touch a piece of paper turned out there. It was accurately and pridefully boasted that every day more than 1,000 people employed from the area produced more than 1,000 tons of the finest lightweight, coated publication papers available on the world-wide market. (From undated St. Regis Publication, probably 2007, the mill’s 75th anniversary.)

From Patricia Smith Ranzoni’s introduction to the book Still Mill: Poems, Stories & Songs of Making Paper in Bucksport, Maine, 1930-2014

The Bucksport paper mill was built in 1930 and was owned by multiple companies through its history. The mill played a significant role in the town of Bucksport, employing multiple generations of local people, contributing money and volunteer time to the local community, and touching the lives of residents in countless other ways. When the mill closed in 2014, the loss was felt in Bucksport and beyond.

Working in the mill wasn’t always easy. Mill employees had to contend with noise, heat, long hours, health and safety concerns, and many other challenges. In spite of these difficulties, mill workers took pride in their work. Paper made in the Bucksport mill became known for its exceptional quality, and the paper makers were dedicated to producing paper that lived up to this reputation.