Abandoned paper mill in Wisconsin
Fox River Paper Company Mill, Appleton Wisconsin
Originally founded in association with Lawrence University, Appleton was platted in 1848. It grew rapidly in population in the early 1850s, particularly in 1853. In that year, it was incorporated as a village. During this period, early investors, primarily easterners, already recognized the importance of Appleton's location on the Fox River to its industrial development. Dropping 170 feet from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, the Fox provided sufficient and consistent power for the support of numerous industries. By 1854, eighteen manufacturers constituted its industrial strength. The arrival of the railroad by 1861 and to a limited degree the Fox River itself connected Appleton to sources of raw materials and markets in Chicago and Milwaukee. Channel improvements along this section of the Fox were completed by 1856, but more reliable rail transportation which was expanded considerably in the 1870s superseded it in importance. The first power dam spanned the river in 1848. Preceded by an 1859 coffer dam, the middle dam which powered the Fox River Paper Company's mill complex was completed in 1880. The power canal was built along the west bank from the middle dam to Lawe Street in the early 1880s. It supplied water power to a large number of industries along the narrow flats of the Fox. The flats of the river provided a level area for the linear arrangement of industrial buildings.
Appleton like the adjacent communities experienced three phases of economic growth: lumber, flour, and paper milling. Initial industrial development remained comparatively slow because of the shortage of investment capital. Thus, despite the early building of several paper mills in the 1850s and 1860s, the high capital demands required to establish such industries halted rapid development until the 1880s (Larson and Glaab 1964: 19; Outagamie County State Centennial Commission 1949: 156). However, lumber and flour milling demanded comparatively limited capital. Appleton's early industry emerged around the processing of local lumber and lumber products. By 1854, it supported four sawmills in addition to lath mills, a planing mill, sash, and blind factories, a chair factory, and an ashery. Lumber milling retained importance into the 1870s. Five sawmills served Appleton by 1874. Although subsidiary industries remained numerous, lumbering declined in importance as resources dwindled in the immediate watershed.
Wheat had become the main crop in southeastern Wisconsin by settlement and remained so into the 1870s when competition from western growers, exhausted soils, and pests and disease removed intensive production to other areas. Flour milling gained importance in Appleton by the early 1860s. With two mills, flour milling had begun by this date but had not reached its peak. Three large mills operated by 1860 and four by 1874, but milling declined by the beginning of the 1880s as it also shifted west to Minneapolis.
The lower Fox River Valley became an important, early paper milling area with centers at Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, and Kaukauna by the 1870s. As flour milling began its decline, manufacturers purposefully sought other investments such as paper milling. Midwestern capitalists even in the late nineteenth century remained relatively small and tended to seek multiple investments with partners. They pooled their monies and spread their risk. If one investment proved financially unsound, they possessed others through which to succeed. Thus, Fox River community investors finally accumulated sufficient monies to support expensive paper mills through partnerships and often remained associated with several other enterprises. By the 1870s, Appleton leaders had also begun to search for and attract outside investors to develop their industry. Situated along the lower Fox, Appleton provided an opportune site for the industry. Papermaking demanded a consistent flow of water providing constant power to produce paper of uniform quality and large amounts of relatively pure water consumed by processing. Flat areas along the banks such as at Appleton also allowed space for the long, linear mill buildings typical of the industry. Forests in northern Wisconsin supplied a sufficient supply of spruce and balsam to satisfy the industry. Without local sources of paper, demand for the product grew with the population and reached significant proportions by 1870. Thus, paper milling dominated Appleton's industry by the 1880s.
Wisconsin paper milling experienced three phases. Initial introduction and gradual development occurred in central Wisconsin, primarily along the lower Fox River Valley in the Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, and Kaukauna area, between 1855 and 1882. Its rapid expansion within and from the river valley to northwest Wisconsin along the Wisconsin, Chippewa, and Flambeau rivers took place between 1882 and 1900. This expansion was spurred by the introduction of wood pulp as a source of supply, the adoption of rolled rather than sheet paper to the printing press in 1875, and the search by capitalists for alternative manufacturing investments to flour milling. Many converted their flour mills to paper production. Despite aerial expansion, major growth remained concentrated along the Fox River. In the final phase after 1900, the number of companies declined as they consolidated and expanded operations or failed.
Although the industry was first established in Milwaukee in 1848 and moved to Beloit in 1855 and to Whitewater in 1857-1860, development there was minimal. The geographic composition of the Fox River Valley favored the industry's early development after its establishment in 1853 by Richmond Brothers in Appleton who produced coarse rag paper. This initial effort attracted craftsmen skilled in paper making to the lower Fox Valley, and more mills were founded. The Neenah Paper Mill emerged in 1865. Four additional companies were founded in Neenah-Menasha by the end of the period. Kimberly and Clark began their rapid development in the industry in 1872 at the Globe Paper Mill of Neenah. Founded in 1872, the Eagle Mills of Kaukauna became the first in Wisconsin to use wood pulp. At the end of the period, Kimberly and Clark established the Atlas Mill in 1878-1879, the largest company at that time, and the Vulcan Mill in 1881, both in Appleton. Additional mills in Appleton in this period included the A.W. Patten Mill, Ames Pulp Company (Appleton Pulp and Paper) in 1875, and the Western Wood Pulp Mills in 1872. By 1875, the mills in the City of Appleton totaled three and by 1882, nine. Between 1848 and 1870, twelve mills emerged in Wisconsin with six still operating in 1870, and between 1870 and 1882 twenty had been organized. Of the thirteen paper companies extant in 1880, nine were located in the Fox River Valley.
In the second phase of expansion between 1882 and 1902, eighty-one new paper manufacturing companies expanded into twenty-four new communities. Kimberly-Clark expanded in Appleton with the building of the Tioga Mill in 1882 and the Telulah Mill in 1887. Additional Appleton companies during the 1882-1900 period included the Riverside Fibre Company in 1893 and Consolidated Papers, Inc. in 1899 in addition to the Fox River Paper Company founded in 1883. The three paper mills extant in 1877 in Appleton expanded to seven in 1884. This number remained relatively stable, reaching eight in 1887, and remained there through 1893, and dropped to seven by 1899.
Although the paper industry in the Fox River Valley underwent considerable technological development during the 1870s, primarily in the transition from cloth rags to wood pulp as a raw material, many of the processes remained essentially the same from its initial establishment in 1848. However, the success of the paper industry in Wisconsin was partly based on the introduction of wood pulp process in 1872. Since the Fox River Paper Company chose to develop fine-writing papers of varying amounts of rag content, the processing of rags and their manufacture into paper, rather than the processing of pulp, is more relevant to the development of this company. Any wood pulp utilized in its papers was purchased from pulp mills rather than processed in its own plant.
The Fox River Flour and Paper Company was organized during this period of mill expansion. Five investors, G.W. Spaulding, William Grant Whorton, John Hart Whorton, and S.K. Wambold of Appleton and Jere D. Witter of Wisconsin Rapids formed the company on March 5, 1883. Following the pattern of the era, they each owned multiple investments in other companies which produced flour lumber, barrels, sash and doors, nails, chairs, beer, lime, coal or woolen textiles. They formed with a capitol of $200,000 to manufacture flour and rag book paper. Paper mills generally produced a limited number of paper grades. The Fox River Paper Company concentrated on bond and ledger papers, and tablet, book, and play card stock. Thus, Appleton manufacturers still bridged the transition from flour to paper milling. While the paper mill achieved success selling products to printers, stationers, and ledger book and school supply companies, the flour mill suffered from the declining wheat production of the 1880s. The three flour mills owned by the company already existed at the site, and the paper mill was constructed abutting the west flour mill.
The Ravine Mill was constructed under the direction of a paper mill architect, E.D. Jones of Pittsfield, Massachusetts between April 1883 and February 1884 on the site of the S.R. Willy Flour Mill just east of two other flour mills, the Outagamie and Lawrence mills and north of the Briggs and Wambold Sash, Door, and Blind factory. The company also purchased the Riverside Flour Mill east of Lake Street. The POST-CRESCENT described the mill in 1883 as a brick building of solid masonry walls standing three stories on a stone foundation and brick arches which were placed on bedrock. Massive timbers composed the interior framing, and a fireproof roof covered the mill. A one-story, brick boiler house and smokestack which are no longer extant were placed on the southwest side. The mill was illuminated with electric lighting.
The Fox River mill collected rags locally and in Chicago and Milwaukee. Rags were first sorted and cut into small pieces. During the pulping process, they were beaten to remove dirt, boiled in a bleach solution, and placed in "Hollanders" which contained a beating roll to extract the fine rag fibers. In the Fox River Mills, this production area is denoted as "drainers". This pulp was then thoroughly mixed with water along with coloring and sizing in beaters to form a thin, gelatinous coating on the fibers' surface. From here, the mass traveled to a second beater or "Jordan" where it was refined once again and flowed to the paper machine, generally the Fourdrinier. In 1803, Henry and Sealy Fourdrinier commercialized this invention. At this point in the process, the pulp was 90-99% water. The major component of the Fourdrinier was a long, narrow continuously moving, vibrating wire screen belt onto which the pulp flowed. Draining and suction drew water from the mass leaving a thin layer of pulp. At the end of the belt, rollers and steam-heated cylinders removed additional water. The paper was finished as it emerged from the polishing rollers of the "calender". It was then cut by machine, dried individually on wood racks in a drying loft or on iron cylinders 10 feet in diameter and packed for shipment. A hot operation, paper making required considerable ventilation. The capacity of the mill was limited by the number of paper machines, which was rarely more than two, and the width of the machine, varying between 36 to 72 inches in the Fox River Valley.
Level 1 originally contained six turbines as well as the drainers which refined the rag pulp. The second level held the beaters or Jordan engine, 72 inch wide fourdrinier, and drying calenders. Rag cutting and cleaning occurred on the third level. A second room was devoted to rag and paper storage. Rag sorting and bleaching, the beginning of the process, took place on the fourth level. The raw materials for the paper included cotton and some linen clippings, rags, and jute and hemp rope. Functions shifted location slightly through time, but the same basic functions continued in the mill into the twentieth century. No evidence of these functions remains in the Ravine Mill which has experienced the greatest degree of interior modification. This mill initially employed about 75 to 80 individuals and output about four tons of paper daily.
The Fox River Flour and Paper Company discontinued flour manufacturing in 1887 to concentrate on paper milling as the alteration in its name to the Fox River Paper Company indicates. It began its second phase of expansion with the construction of the Lincoln Mill between August 1888 and October, 1889 on the site of the Briggs, Whorton, and Beveridge's planning mill which burned in July 1886. E.D. Jones also designed the Lincoln Mill as well as the Gilbert Paper Mill at Menasha. Most of the foundation and the rebuilding of the south wall of the head race on the south side of the mill occurred in the fall of 1888, and the remainder was completed in 1889.
The paper-making process began in the east wing (section N) of the mill which contained twelve drainers on the first and second levels, washing and beating machines on the second, and a drying loft rather than cylinders on the third. Evidence of the drainers remains. A steam boiler on level 1 and bleach boiler and sizing room on level 2 are in section 0. The powerhouse (section T) contained seven' turbines on the first and second level, and rag cutting machines occupied the third level and storage occurred on the top level. The long center wing (section M) contained the 74-inch Fourdrinier paper machine on the third level. Packing occurred on the fourth level. The west wing (section L) became the finishing section. The drying calenders probably occupied the third level while shipping occurred on the first level. Cutting was placed on the second level, and ruling occurred on the third. Lining of the ledger books was initially done by hand. Chemicals were stored in section P on the north side. Addition Q contained steam boilers and section R became the engine room. The tower (U) is positioned between sections N and P. The freight elevator and on the top floor the water tank for the sprinkler system occupied this section. According to the POSTCRESCENT, the building featured a seven-story "ornamental tower" which contained the main entrance. The Lincoln Mill increased the Fox River Paper Company's production capacity by eight tons daily to twelve tons.
In 1893, the Fox River Paper Company increased its capital stock to $400,000 which allowed a considerable plant expansion by the addition of the Rag Mill (building B) to the west of Lake Bridge and the Fox River Mill (sections C-K, V-W) to the east of the bridge. This expansion extended the mill's capacity to 30 tons daily which required the employment of about 375 employees. The Fox River Mill replaced the Riverside Flour Mills. E.D. Jones again designed these buildings which were constructed between approximately September 1892 and March 1893.
The Rag Mill (building B), called the "rag room," readied rags for the paper machine in the Fox River Mill and did not contain a paper machine. A turbine housing remains along the north wall of the first level. A concrete tank in the southwest corner, called the rag cooler, extended to the second level and was later used as the mail room. Rag sorting occurred on the fifth level, rag cutting using what the POST-CRESCENT called "dusters, cutters, and thrashers" occupied the fourth, and rag and paper storage was in the basement, first, and second level.
Rag preparation continued in buildings D, E, and F in the Fox River Mill. Initial maceration of the rags occurred in the drainers, now evidenced by brick tanks, on levels 1 and 2 of building D. Bleaching probably occurred in the remnants of the tanks now in level 1 building F. The eight beaters which further refined the rag pulp were located on the second level. The remains of the tanks on level 1 of building E were associated with the bleaching process. A turbine was also housed on this level. Rag cooking occurred on level 3. The 86-inch Fourdrinier occupied the third level of building D. The fourth level was constructed after 1911. Paper drying in cylinders probably occurred on this level. Building C functioned as the finishing room. Cutting occurred on level 3, storage and shipping on level 2, and storage on levels 1 and 3. The housing for a turbine also remains on level 1. Building J functioned as the boiler house and building I as the engine room.
Beginning at the turn of the century, the third period of development in the paper industry witnessed company consolidation and considerable growth of individual facilities. By 1916, there were fifty paper mills in Wisconsin and the state ranked fourth in paper production. Wisconsin paper mills concentrated their production on specific types of paper. In 1905, fifty-two companies operated 130 mills. By 1939, thirty-eight companies remained. Fifty percent of the mills produced newspaper stock. However, when the tariff upon Canadian paper products was removed in 1911, manufacturers quickly shifted to specialized paper products including light-weight papers, tissue paper, napkins, blueprint and mimeograph paper stock, and high-quality writing and printing papers. By 1899, seven paper companies operated in Appleton. This number varied between seven and ten up to 1938.
The Fox River Paper Company was already engaged in specialty paper manufacturing. Therefore, in 1915, the company planned another expansion phase. A by-product of the war, the demand for paper products rose considerably in 1916. The company concentrated further on a few grades of high-quality paper, the rag bond, ledger, and blueprint papers. It also began to replace original machinery but often did not change the functions of the buildings. In June 1920, it expanded by acquiring an extant two-machine mill, the 1886 Telulah Mill from Kimberly, Clark & Company. The mill stood across the Fox River just south of the Fox River Paper Mill. The Fox River Paper Company remodeled the mill to allow the production of fine writing paper rather than newspaper stock. This step increased total production to 50 tons per day and ranked the company as the largest producer of certain kinds of bond and ledger paper in the nation.
Between 1924 and 1926, the Fox River Paper Company also added to the Fox River Mill. Added between 1924 and 1926, building G contained the water filtration plant on the first level and a machine shop on the first and second levels. Building H, also a machine shop, was added in 1926. In 1928, the company attached the power plant (building V) to the east end of building H. This power plant joins a pre-existing building (building W) at its southeast corner. Probably at this time, the Fox River Paper Company absorbed the pre-1883 building (building W) once associated with the Victoria Merchant Custom Mill and utilized it as a garage. Building K, whose function remains unidentified, was added between 1932 and 1934. The current dam adjacent to the Lincoln Mill replaced the former one in 1926. In 1928, the Fox River Paper Company erected a power plant on the east side of building G which is now owned by Lawrence University. In 1937, the Fox River Paper Company purchased the Patten Company, located south of the Fox River north of the Telulah Mill, for storage purposes. Owned by W.C. Wing of Neenah since 1915, the Fox River Paper Company was transferred to a corporation formed by E.A. Oberweiser, M.E. Roberts, and R.F. Bellack on December 1, 1938. By this date, the company employed over 400 employees. As the Fox River Paper Company consolidated its operations to the Telulah Mill, it closed production in the Lincoln Mill in 1948, the Fox River Mill in 1952, and the Ravine and Rag mills in 1955.
The Fox River Paper Company occupied its mill buildings from 1884-1893 to 1948-55, a period of more than fifty years. The mill buildings represent the second and third period of development in the paper milling industry. The company began operations at the beginning of the general expansion of the paper mill industry in the early 1880s. Much of that expansion may be attributed to the growing amounts of capital available to build such expensive facilities and the introduction and sophistication of the wood pulp extraction process. Typically, the Fox River Paper Company began through the pooling of resources by five investors. Despite the growing use of wood pulp as the raw material for paper, the Fox River Paper Company became one of the few companies to produce rag stock.
The company continued to enlarge plant facilities and production through the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century as demand continually rose. Beginning as a one-paper machine plant in the Ravine Mill in 1884, it rapidly expanded its production to two machines with the erection of the Lincoln Mill to the south in 1888-1889 and its output from four to twelve tons of paper per day. The 1892-1893 expansion with the Rag and Fox River mills added a third machine and extended production to 30 tons of paper daily. By 1911, Wisconsin companies rapidly shifted to the production of specialty papers as competition with Canadian companies threatened their market. The Fox River Paper Company employed this opportunity to extend its production in this line. It reached 50 tons of paper per day with the remodeling of the adjacent Telulah Mill in 1920. Thus, the Fox River Paper Mill well illustrates the rapid expansion of the industry during the second phase of development and the specialty production which emerged in the third phase in the Fox River Valley. Engaged in one of the largest industrial operations in Appleton, it also grew to become one of its largest manufacturers of rag products in the nation.
Building Description
The Fox River Paper Mill complex is located on the Fox River flats, an early industrial area of Appleton initially developed in the 1850s. It sits adjacent to the Lake Bridge along the west bank of the Fox River. It is bounded on the north by Water Street, on the west and south by the Fox River, and on the east by the Lawrence University power plant. It once occupied a narrow strip of land separated on the north from Water Street by the Water Power Canal which has been filled as far east as South Oneida Street. The complex consists of three building groupings which contain one or several connected original, dominant buildings and attached additions thus totaling three resources. The water power canal which runs north of the mill composes the fourth resource. All buildings were originally oriented to the north or Water Street. Two complexes lie on the west side of South Oneida Street and Lake Bridge; the adjoining Ravine and Rag mills to the north and the Lincoln Mill to the south. The third complex, the Fox River Mill, lies directly to the east of South Oneida Street. The Rag and Fox River mills are connected by tunnels both under and over South Oneida Street. Oneida Street once formed the main artery through Appleton connecting Menasha and Green Bay.
The three mill complexes follow the common stylistic utilitarian mill design of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Each of the major buildings housed an operation running a single Fourdrinier machine. They are composed of long, comparatively narrow, interconnected buildings. The resource follows typical mill spatial composition. The walls are horizontally and vertically organized by their window shape and size and regular placement. The proportion of window-to-wall space is relatively higher than in large commercial buildings. Roof pitch is generally flat or low. Decorative details appear only on prominent elements such as window lintels, cornice lines, and towers. Except for additions, this detailing generally follows the Italianate style despite the spread in building age between 1883-1884 and 1892-1893.
The mill complex contains four mill buildings constructed in three building phases.
The 1883-1884 Ravine Mill (building A), the first mill complex, has rectangular massing and is horizontally organized through the rows of windows with segmented lintels and its elevated corbelled cornices along the north and west sides. The addition which houses the turbines was added to the west end of the building between 1895 and 1901.
The Ravine Mill is 88 by 99 feet and contains four levels including the basement. Exterior masonry walls are composed of a cream brick in a common bond laid on a random rubble limestone foundation. Tin and asphalt cover the flat roof. Three rows of eight windows light the three levels above the basement on the north side. Windows are double-hung and generally contain 8/12 lights. Sills are constructed with smooth-faced, ashlar limestone. The west side contains a similar window configuration above the two brick additions. The additions stand on poured concrete foundation and display rectangular windows with cement sills and lintels. The south side of the Ravine mill has experienced considerable window alteration and displays little original fenestration. The remaining original windows parallel those on other facades. Entrances are unelaborated. Interior spaces are generally open. Much of the interior construction has suffered alteration. The original brick arches remain in level 1 or the basement level. They are supplemented with steel columns and span between the later concrete floor and ceiling. The interior wood framing has been removed from levels 2 through 4 and substituted with steel columns and beams with concrete floors and ceilings except on levels 3 and 4 which retain their wood ceilings and floors. The additions along the west side currently house operating turbines. Originally, water from the water power canal entered the west elevation at two locations to operate machinery on level 1. The entrance remains visible from the exterior. The Ravine Mill contained one Fourdrinier paper machine and machinery to prepare the rag pulp and finish and ship the paper products.
Placed across the east elevation of the Ravine Mill, the Rag Mill (building B) replaced a former flour mill in 1892-1893. It closely resembles the Ravine mill. Its facades and elevations are organized with rows of rectangular, multi-light windows with segmented lintels, an elevated corbelled cornice along the north and east sides and small wood brackets along the south facade.
The Rag Mill (building B) stands five levels high including the basement. Levels 3 and 4 are approximately equivalent to level three in the Ravine Mill (building A). It measures 99 feet north-south and 110 feet east-west. Like the other mills, it is composed of masonry walls of cream brick laid in a common bond which rest on a primarily coursed rubble stone foundation. The flat roof is covered with tin. The north or front facade is composed of four rows of fourteen double-hung windows. They are 15/15 lights on the fifth and fourth levels and 10/10 lights on the lower levels. Sills are composed of rough-faced ashlar limestone while lintels are segmented. The entryway on the second level was modified in the recent past. The composition of the east side is similar to the north with its four rows of twelve windows. Windows on the fifth level at the south end have been blocked. Additionally, there is an ashlar stone watertable. The steel-cladded breezeway to building C stands in the same position as the original walkway at the fourth level on the south corner of the east facade. Original openings across the rear or south facade remain on the third to fifth levels and parallel the other two sides. Windows, especially on the fifth level, have been covered. Some of the openings have been replaced by modern steel loading bays on the second level.
The primary function of the Rag Mill was the preparation of rags for paper machines in the Fox River Mill. Much of the interior construction of the Rag Mill, a wood post and heavy beam framework and wood floors and ceiling, is original. On the second, third, and fourth levels, steel beams occasionally supplement the wood framing. The brick housing for a turbine and a concrete vat which rises to the third level are located in the center of the north wall adjacent to the power canal and in the southwest corner respectively. Recent partitions separate the office of Williamhouse in the northeast corner of the second level.
The 1888-1889 Lincoln Mill is distinguished by its grouping of long, narrow buildings around a courtyard which opens to the north. The long east-west center wing is flanked on either side by two north-south wings which present the corbelled cornice returns of their gable to the south and north. Windows in the gables are round-arched as are windows of the narrow roof dormers. There are also circular or semicircular windows in the gable ends. Other windows have segmented lintels. The square tower along the northeast side carries a corbelled cornice below its mansard roof. A row of three windows with rounded lintels pierce the facade of the tower immediately below. The center widow stands above the other two, creating a palladian window motif.
The original Lincoln Mill once abutted the mill race on the south side which was formed by a wall separating it from the main channel. It directed water to the powerhouse along its southeast corner before the dam was relocated to the east and the mill race filled. The mill is composed of a long, narrow section (M) flanked by two wings (L and N) on the east and west. A third wing (O) runs west from the east wing. Section P north of section O is also original. Additions include sections Q and R erected between 1895 and 1901 and S constructed between 1911 and 1934. Several frame walkways on the north side represent replacements of the original. Finally, a one-story, steel-attached shed sits north of these three additions, and a post-1934 tower has been added to the west elevation. The original portion of the buildings was four and a half levels including the basement but exclusive of the tower (U) which rises to 6 levels, the powerhouse (T) which reaches three and a half levels, and section P containing two levels. Addition S is four levels while Q and R reach two levels.
Overall, Lincoln Mill occupies a 230-foot north-south by 260-foot east-west area excluding the south powerhouse wing which measures 25 by 47 feet. The original mill is composed of a masonry wall of cream brick laid in a common bond. Excluding the steel addition, earlier additions are built of a redder brick and concrete block. The structure rests on a random rubble limestone foundation which joins the foundation with a smooth surfaced, ashlar limestone watertable. More recent portions are placed on a poured concrete or concrete block foundation. Asphalt and tin cover the gabled roof. The north tower has a mansard roof, and added west tower is covered by a flat roof.
The north or front facade of Lincoln Mill is composed of the gable ends of the east and west wings, the tower, the original walls of the two and four-and-a-half-level sections O and P to the west, and the walls of the additions which fill the original courtyard behind section O. Thus, it is a complex, rather rambling facade, horizontally composed of rows of double-hung windows with smooth-faced, ashlar limestone sills and segmented lintels. The windows are largely boarded over. The top story of the gable ends and the tower display one or two windows with segmented lintels flanked either by smaller, similar windows or circular windows. The west elevation is composed of three rows of ten windows similar to the north side. Until recently the location of a two-story addition which is now razed, this elevation contains quite a few windows on the lower two levels and the south end which are filled. A five-story brick tower was placed in the center of the elevation after 1934. Four narrow, gable roof dormers with round-headed windows pierce the upper story. The south facade presents the gable ends of the two wings (sections L and N) and of the powerhouse (section T) and the long wall of section M. This facade is pierced by three long rows of windows with segmented lintels similar to those of the north side. The west gable contains rounded lintels flanked by circular windows, and the east one displays a single, large semi-circular window. Some of the 12/12 lights remain in the powerhouse. Ten narrow, gabled roof dormers pierce the roof. They retain their 6/6 lights. The surviving head race runs east under the powerhouse once turning seven turbines and exits under three segmental arches. The east facade, section N, which abuts the Lake Bridge is also composed of three rows of windows with segmented lintels. Windows are covered. Dormers similar to the south facade also pierce this roof. The central one contains a double-rounded arch window.
Broad spaces whose size often coincides with that of the wing compose the interior. Heavy post and beam construction support the first floor of the west wing (section L). Water once entered the south wall from the race into the basement area to operate unidentified machinery. In section M, brick arches that rise through the first floor support the floors of the second and third levels, the location of the paper machine. Corbelling along the arches support heavy wood beams. The walls of the nine brick tanks or drainers rest on the floor of level 1 and rise through it into the second level in the east wing (section N). Section O of the original building has a clear timber span while P is supported by wood posts and beams at level 1. Additions are supported primarily by steel posts except for section R which is a clear span. Steel framing occurs in the additions above the first level. Much of the original levels above the basement are supported by wood post and beam construction. Wood floors and ceilings dominate although some concrete flooring has been added. Original variations include the steel tie rods which suspend the third and fourth level from the fifth level roof beams in sections L, M, and N. Post and beam construction support the second level ceiling in section L, and brick corbelling on piers along the walls also support the wood beams of sections M and N to create a clear span on the fourth level. Riveted steel trusses now support the clear span of the third level in section L. Rolled steel beams across the clear span in the third level of section M are original. Roof supports in the original sections are composed of wood framing. Generally, the rag pulp was prepared in the east wing (N) for the paper machine on the third level of the middle wing (M) whose product was finished in the west wing (L).
The Fox River Mill on the east side of South Oneida Street was constructed during the same 1892-1893 period as the Rag Mill to its immediate west. The original portion consists of 5 sections denoted as buildings C, D, E, F, and J. Its north and south facades are visually irregular in roof line and window placement. Additionally, these facades fail to align north-south thus adding to the asymmetry of the facade. Facades and elevations are organized by rows of rectangular windows with segmented lintels and by corbelled cornices. Buildings C at the west end and F at the east end also display small brackets along their gable eaves. Building J whose gable faces south is characterized by a corbelled cornice return. The flat roof tower along building E at the northeast side of the complex displays a series of three, two, and one narrow windows with segmented lintels from level six to four. Between 1911 and 1934, building I with a stepped cornice replaced an earlier section. Building K to the west of J was added sometime after 1934. Building H was erected in 1926 and building G was constructed sometime between 1924 and 1926. Building V, the powerhouse, was erected in 1928. The complex grew eastward absorbing the pre-1883 garage building (W) by 1934. Their facades are organized by rows of rectangular openings and elevated cornices.
Although the original five buildings of the Fox River Mill on the east side of Lake Bridge were constructed at one time, variations are sufficient to warrant a brief discussion of each separate section. Building C rises four levels and encompasses a 48-foot east-west by 98-foot north-south space. Its masonry walls of cream brick are laid in a common bond and rest on a random rubble limestone foundation. Asphalt shingle covers its gently pitched roof. Three rows of 6 openings each along with the bracketed corbelled cornice compose the front or north facade. The original entrance has been bricked and a second created adjacent to it. Double-hung windows contain 15/15 lights on levels three and four and 10/10 on level two. Sills are rough-faced, ashlar limestone. The west elevation is similarly composed with twelve windows in each row and the addition of a watertable. Four rows of six windows with a bracketed cornice compose the south side. Windows lights have a 15/15 arrangement except for the second level which is 10/10. Some of the windows on the fourth level are blocked and two windows are either altered to a door or modified for loading. Water from the tail race beginning at the Water Power Canal once exited beneath. The east elevation is composed like the front facade with three rows of windows ending at the building's union with building D at which is located a post-1934 five-story elevator tower. Cutting, storage, and shipping of paper occurred in building C. Interior spaces are primarily open. Much of the original interior support system, the post and beam construction with wood flooring and ceiling, remains. The stone casing for the turbine at the north end of level 1 adjacent to the power canal remains. Interior wood partitions separate the north end on the second level. Steel columns and north-south steel beams have been substituted for wood elements on levels 3 and 4. However, the timber truss running east-west remains.
Building D abuts buildings C to the west and E to the east. It contains four levels and encompasses a 38-foot east-west by 169-foot north-south space. Sometime between 1911 and 1934, level four was added to D but it continues to maintain the architectural lines of the adjacent buildings. Dormers similar to those on the Lincoln Mill pierced the original roof. The building is composed of cream brick masonry walls laid in a common bond. A random rubble limestone foundation supports the building. The flat roof is covered with tin. Its three rows of 21 windows and corbelled cornice compose the front or north facade. Double-hung windows contain 15/15 lights on the third and fourth levels and 10/0 lights on the second level. Sills are rough-faced, ashlar stone. The lower portion of the second level is obscured by concrete loading docks added after the original construction. A similar fenestration along the south facade is obscured by several later additions up as high as the third level (buildings K and additions between J and D). Originally, building D contained the paper machines on level 3 and drainers on level 1. Brick vaults and wood post and beam construction support the floors of levels 2 and 3. Corbelling along the brick walls support second-floor beams. The stone housing for the drainers occurs Between brick vaults. The arches in level 1 rise through level 2. Corbelling again supports the level 3 floor. The floor and ceiling are wood except for the north side which is concrete. Wood supplemented with steel beams form a clear span to support the level four floor. Flooring is both wood and concrete and the ceiling is wood deck on level 3. This level also includes partitions on the north and east side. Steel joists support the roof system on level 4 which was added after 1911. Floors are both wood and concrete, and the ceiling is wood.
Placed between buildings D, G, and F on the west, east, and south sides, building E rises five levels with its tower in the northwest corner reaching seven levels. The building measures 48.5 feet north-south and 68 feet east-west which includes the 12 by 18-foot tower. A cream brick laid in a common bond composes the masonry walls. Its foundation is a random rubble limestone. The comparatively steep gable roof is covered with asphalt shingle. Its west end adjacent to the tower is truncated, and the tower itself has a flat roof. Once fenestrated with three rows of six double-hung windows, the north facade is now covered by a concrete loading dock up to the third level. Some windows remain intact below the roof of the loading dock. Third and fourth-floor windows have 15/15 lights and the second level has 10/10 lights. The series of 3, 2, and 1 windows on the north side of the tower, as well as those on its other sides and levels, are blocked. Sills are rough-faced, ashlar limestone. With contemporary and subsequent additions, there are few windows piercing other sides. Corbelled cornices complete the building design.
Water from the power canal originally entered the north side of building E to operate a turbine encased in a stone housing. The tower contained the elevator and tank on the seventh floor for the sprinkling system. The wheel house occurred on level 2 while preparation of rags for the paper machine and storage was performed on upper levels. The system of brick vaults continues from building D into E with the supplementation of wood beams with steel beams in building E. Supports above the second level have been altered. On the third level, steel I columns replace weed posts and support wood beams. Supporting a clear span, the wood beams supporting the ceiling of level 4 is suspended from the original steel trusses tied to the level 5 roof framing. As on other levels, the floor is concrete. However, while the ceiling on level 4 is wood, the others are concrete. This construction is original. On level 5 t wood trusses with wood framing carrying the steel tie rods support the roof. The floor and ceiling are wood. The upper levels of the tower are constructed of wood post and beam construction. At least some of the machinery which operated the spinkling system still remains on level 7.
Building F abuts building E on its north and addition I on its west. It is connected to building G by a frame walkway at the second level and a tunnel on the first. Building F contains three levels enclosing a space of 70 feet east-west and 79.5 feet north-south. The building is constructed of a cream brick masonry wall laid in a common bond resting on a random rubble foundation. A low-pitched, gable roof with tin cladding covers the building. Addition I covers much of the fenestration on the west side. On the south side, a row of nine windows on levels three and four and a short row at the west end of level 2 organize the facade. They are double-hung windows with rough-faced, ashlar limestone sills and 15/15 lights. A bracketed, corbelled cornice completes this facade. A similar window configuration occurs on the east elevation. On the interior, level 1 contains two large masonry bleaching vats on a concrete floor. It is open through the second level. Wood and added steel beams support the concrete ceiling. The roof over the third level which contained eight beaters is carried by round steel columns and framing of timber with steel straps.
The fifth building in the original complex, building J, initially communicated with the remainder of the mill complex through building I, which has been considerably modified or completely replaced. It contains one level which encloses a 43.2 by 66 foot horizontal and 20.75 to 28.3-foot vertical space. Masonry walls are constructed of a cream brick laid in a common bond upon a random rubble limestone foundation. The gable roof is covered with asphalt shingle. A row of four windows with rough-faced ashlar sills under a single window above occupy the south gable end. The windows are now covered. It also has a corbelled cornice return. Additions on the north and south block any original fenestration on these walls. This section once contained steam boilers which are no longer extant. Steel columns and a timber truss with steel tie rods support the roof above the concrete floor. The floor is concrete and the ceiling is wood. The small single-story, 29 by 28-foot brick addition to the northwest, J, once contained the power pumps. It was added between 1901 and 1911.
Building I, an extension to building J, began as a one-story, brick power plant and occupied the south portion of its east wall. It connected building J to F. It was severely altered or replaced between 1911 and 1934 by extending the single-story upward and to its rear or north. It is now a 45 by 75 foot, one-story, fireproof brick power plant on a concrete foundation. The building is open through what is generally level 2 in the surrounding buildings. It is covered with a flat roof and asphalt shingles. The parapet of the west side is stepped. On the south facade, the two tiers of windows are square-headed with concrete lintels and sills and are blocked. Wedged between buildings D, F, and J, building I lacks fenestration on the east and north walls and possesses only one window on the west wall.
Building K was placed between buildings C, J, J', and D sometime after 1934. Wedged between these buildings, it has irregular dimensions with a maximum extent of 85 feet east-west and 65 feet north-south. Its flat roof is covered with asphalt shingle. Its one-story concrete block wall lacks fenestration. Post and beam construction rather than steel provide the interior framing.
Located to the east of the original complex, Building G was erected well after the first building phase between ca. 1924 and 1926. It contains three levels and measures 59 feet east-west and 99 feet north-south. Its walls are composed of a cream brick laid in a common bond and are supported by a poured concrete foundation. The gently pitched gable roof is covered with asphalt shingles. Two rows of nine double-hung windows compose the north or front facade. Level three windows are composed of 8/8 and level 2 windows of 12/12 lights. Rectangular lintels and sills are concrete. An elevated, corbelled cornice capped with red tile completes the front facade. A recent steel-cladded single-story dock interrupts part of the front facade. The third and second level fenestration is carried around to the other three sides but is interrupted by two walkways on the third level at the west end and building H on the east side. The first level is also fenestrated on these sides with 8/8 lights. However, in some cases the glazing has been altered along these sides. The south facade displays nine windows along each row. Building G', a one-story, 23.5 by 38-foot brick building, unites G to Building E. Building G functioned as a machine shop. On the interior, steel I columns support steel beams and joists on the first level. Floor and ceilings are concrete. While level 2 is a clear span supported by a steel beam, level 3 has steel I columns and steel framing. The floor and ceiling of this level is wood.
Although erected somewhat later than building G in 1926, building H is relatively similar in design. It stands west of building G. It contains a single level and measures 54 by 78 feet and 23 feet in height. Its cream brick walls are laid in a common bond on a poured concrete foundation. Its low-pitched, gable roof is covered with asphalt. Two rows of double-hung windows with rectangular, cement lintels and sills span the front under a corbelled, elevated cornice. Windows contain 12/12 lights. The glazing in many of the windows has been altered along the two rows of windows along the rear of the building. Its end walls are sandwiched between building G and the power plant now owned by Lawrence University. The building has a clear span whose roof is supported by steel trusses. Ceiling construction is concrete, and the floor is concrete on grade.
The Fox River Paper Company completed the long mill complex by adding the powerhouse in 1928. Its west side abuts building H. Its southeast corner joins the pre-1883 building which the company used as-a garage by about 1928. Constructed of cream brick laid in a common bond, the 100 by 45-foot powerhouse contains a single level. It rests on a poured concrete foundation, and a flat, tile roof surrounded by a parapet covers the building. Both ceiling and floor are concrete. Steel trusses support the ceiling. An elevated corbelled cornice is elaborated by raised diamonds and cubes placed above and below the cornice line. Organizing the facade and elevations, round-arched windows each with a voussoir and keystone are composed of two vertical sections and extend the full height of the building. Except in areas along the south elevation, the windows are covered. Five windows occur along the south or rear elevation and three along the east elevation. Six windows organize the facade. The two end windows descend to the height of the door on the east side. The interior contains two turbines.
Constructed of cream brick laid in a common bond, building W, the garage, stands on a random rubble foundation. It measures 35 by 50 feet and rises three levels including the basement. Its gable faces forward. A gently sloping gable roof covered with asphalt shingle completes the building. Small brackets occur under the eaves of the front facade. Double-hung, arched windows pierce the north and south facades. Three openings occur along each of the three levels along the north elevation. Windows contain 8/8 lights. Doors appear in the center openings on levels 1 and 2. The second level of the front facade contains two windows similar to those along the rear separated by a central door. Three large openings closed by overhead doors are located along the first level.
The power canal branches off the Fox River 296 feet west of the Lincoln Mill. The main channel of the Fox River flows south of the mill complex. The canal flows 160 feet northeast to the east side of the Ravine Mill. Here it enters the mill under the south half of the building and exits at the southwest corner. The tail race runs 240 feet between the Rag and Ravine mills and the Lincoln Mill and under the Oneida Street Bridge. Here, it flows back into the main channel. From the west side of Ravine Mill, the canal also flows 160 feet northeast to its northwest corner and then turns west running 208 feet on the north side of the Ravine and Rag mills. It goes under the Oneida Bridge and turns to flow 50 feet south to the Fox River Mill. The canal runs due south under the west end of building C and directly enters the main channel from the south side. The canal varies greatly in width. West of the Ravine Mill, it reaches a maximum width of about 128 feet. From this location, the canal narrows considerably to about 25 feet north of the Ravine and Rag mills. For the most part, the walls of the canal are earthen. It does flow against a 272-foot-long random rubble retaining wall which runs west of Lincoln Mill along the southeast bank to the northwest corner of the Ravine Mill. The tail race between the two mills is also at least partially stone-lined.
The head race to the powerhouse of the Lincoln Mill also once exited from the power canal west and just to the south of this mill. The head race ran between the south wall of the mill and an existing random rubble, east-west retaining wall. The wall extends from a point opposite the southwest corner of the mill east 164 feet to the current dam which runs 72 feet west of the Oneida Street Bridge. The area of the approximately 48-foot-wide race has been filled in from the power canal to the powerhouse. The race descended under the powerhouse to turn its turbines and exited under three arches supporting the east side of this building. From here, the tail race flowed east under the Oneida Street Bridge and into the main channel. This area is still intact and contains water. The current 48-foot-long north-south dam which stands west of the power house replaced the earlier dam located opposite the west end of the Lincoln Mill in 1926.
The north facade of the Lincoln Mill (buildings U and P) at the east end facing southwest (1989)
The east elevation and south facade of the powerhouse of the Lincoln Mill (buildings T and N) facing northwest (1989)
South facade of the Lincoln Mill (buildings L, M, T, and N) facing northwest (1989)
Additions to the northwest side of Lincoln Mill (buildings U, 0, and P) facing southwest (1989)
The west elevation of Lincoln Mill (building L) facing east (1989)
The west elevation of the Ravine Mill (building A) facing east (1989)
The north facade of the Ravine and Rag Mill (buildings A and B) facing southeast (1989)
The east elevation of the Rag Mill (building B) facing southwest (1989)
The south facade of the Ravine and Rag mills (buildings A and B) facing northeast (1989)
