11/19/2017

Michigan Paper Company, Plainwell Michigan

Michigan Paper Company, Plainwell Michigan

The water powered Michigan Paper Company mill in Plainwell was mostly built in 1887 and operated until 2000. It was built at a time when paper mills were difficult to distinguish from textile mills. It's four bays wide which is wider than most textile mills but otherwise has many of the same characteristics. The mill has been nicely restored and is now used for city offices. There is a nice little park at the tail of the mill race with some commemorative information about the mill. Otherwise Plainwell seemed to be a nice, fairly prosperous small town. It might owe some of its prosperity to the fact that it's about 17 miles from Kalamazoo. Plainwell is one of three or so mill towns on the Kalamazoo River in this area of Michigan. Otsego, just downstream has a few surviving remnants of its paper mills but none that have been reused. Allegan's mills seem to have been demolished.

 

Michigan Paper Company, Plainwell Michigan

Michigan Paper Company, Plainwell Michigan

Michigan Paper Company, Plainwell Michigan

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