The Androscoggin Mill is a

pulp and paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

in Jay, Maine. At its peak, 1,500 workers were employed in the facility. In February 2023, management announced that the mill would permanently close in March 2023.

Early history

Construction began in 1963 and was completed in 1965. The mill replaced the Riley Mill, which was located less than a mile away. The largest paper company in the world at the time,

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 39,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

, built it. It was named for the nearby

Androscoggin River The Androscoggin River (Abenaki: ''Ammoscongon'') is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data''The National Map'', a ...

1987–88 strike

In 1987–88, 1,200 mill workers and members of the United Paperworkers' International Union went on strike against the company, which was demanding wage reductions and other givebacks despite record profits. The mill eventually reopened with permanent replacements.

Sales and closure

In 2006, International Paper sold the plant to Verso Holdings, LLC, and 1,000 people worked in the mill at that time. In 2015, Verso laid off 300 workers. A year later, it filed for bankruptcy. In 2017, it laid off an additional 300 people and idled a machine. In April 2020, a wood pulp digester exploded, destroying the mill's pulp machines. Pixelle Specialty Solutions, which had purchased the mill two months prior in February, decided not to rebuild. In September 2022, the company decided to permanently close the mill. In February 2023, Pixelle announced that the mill would cease production no later than March 9, 2023.

References

Industrial buildings completed in 1965 Industrial buildings and structures in Maine Pulp and paper mills in the United States Pulp and paper industry in Maine Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Maine Jay, Maine 1965 establishments in Maine {{Maine-struct-stub