Paper Town Projects was established as a 401 c (3) in 2008 to document the work of remaining six Lee mills at a time when it seemed they all might close. The two companies that owned them closed all but one, and put the last remaining mill, the oldest, up for sale.
The immediate goal of Paper Town Projects was to document paper making in all types of jobs within the paper mills.
The project had early support from Housatonic Heritage, Mass Humanities, the High Meadow Foundation, and individuals. Paper Town conducted more than 30 interviews with paper makers, townspeople, and others in businesses related to paper. PTP also went into schools in Lee, to include students in the process of gathering archival photos and hand paper making.
A pause in the project gave us time to consider its future, its purpose, and how the stories might be told and preserved…
Now, in 2022, the entire project will move to the Housatonic Heritage Oral History Center, where the digitally recorded interviews will be cared for and archived (with the Digital Commonwealth), and where stewardship, research, and interviewing will continue.
In 2025-2025, the Berkshire Museum will curate a show with parts of interviews and related materials, including paper itself.
Paper has a rich history in this region, where former R&D director for Schweitzer Mauduit Bill Selke said its manufacture represents “the height of the art and science of paper.”
The story of hard work and ingenuity on the part of local mill owners and employees is an important part of the region’s economic and cultural heritage. The move of this project to the well-established regional nonprofit, a partnership program of the National Park Service, Housatonic Heritage, will help to ensure the stories are well cared for and told.