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Johnsonburg

Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania

THE JOHNSONBURG MILL

The Johnsonburg mill is more than 100 years old and was originally owned by Curtis Publishing which produced coated paper at the site. In the 1950s this was believed to be the largest coated paper mill in the world.

In the 1960's Curtis Publishing fell on hard times and in 1969 decided to shut down the Johnsonburg mill. It was only closed for six months when Penntech Papers, a group of investors that included George Petty, purchased the mill and ran it for 20 years.

When Willamette acquired the mill from Penntech in 1990, it was operating a number of small machines and employed over 700 people. One of the first things Willamette did was resolve a number of outstanding environmental issues beginning with a new effluent plant. Today the mill generates nearly 100% of its own energy, and gasses from the fiberline and chemical recovery process are incinerated which virtually eliminates noxious odors normally associated with kraft pulping.

To feed the three operating machines, the mill has a single integrated continuous hardwood kraft pulp line. There is also a sheeting plant and rewinder in the nearby town of Dubois, Pennsylvania.

"Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania, is a difficult place to reach. It lies nestled in the hilly terrain of the northern part of the state, three hours from Pittsburgh, one hour from Dubois and a short drive from St. Mary's, Pennsylvania (population 20,000). In the center of this small, working-class town sits the local pulp and paper mill which for more than 100 years has provided employment for many of the residents, and today is part of Willamette Industries." excerpt from PaperAge, February 2001 Issue, Johnsonburg Mill Installs Single Nip Shoe Press

Furthermore, Wikipedia says: Johnsonburg is a borough in Elk County, Pennsylvania, 164 miles (264 km) northeast of Pittsburgh. It is in a productive farming and lumbering region. Paper mills were once common here, and Domtar still maintains a paper mill there today. In 1910, 4,334 people lived here. The population was 3,003 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1810 and incorporated in 1891.

Johnsonburg is located at (41.493950, -78.679600)^GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.8 km² (3.0 mi²), all land.

The major industry in Johnsonburg is paper, with the largest mill owned by the Domtar Corporation. [Paper mill from photos]

It was built more than a century ago, originally owned by Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post. By 1950, it was believed to be the largest coated paper mill in the world.^[1]

By the 1960s, Curtis Publishing was questioning its ownership of the mill due to financial concerns, and by 1969, had closed down the Johnsonburg mill. Six months later, a group of investors including artist George Petty formed a group called Penntech Papers, purchased the mill assets, and continued it in operation for the next 20 years.

In 1990, Penntech sold the mill to Willamette Industries, the company that would later be acquired by Weyerhaeuser in February 2002 in a hostile takeover and then in 2007 was acquired by Domtar.

Johnsonburg...

Is the oldest incorporated town in Elk County, first incorporated in 1810
Was originally called Quay
Like many towns in the 1920s and 1930s with organized crime, the borough carried the name of "Little Chicago."
It was once considered a booming town along the Clarion River where former United States President Ulysses S. Grant used to visit during and after his presidency to fish with other retired Civil War generals that had lived there. Neighboring municipalities such as Kane and Wilcox were named after generals.
During World War II, the borough had, per capita, the highest number of soldiers entering into military service. This fact was officially recognized years later.(citation needed)
Paper from the mill originally was used for the Saturday Evening Post during the days that artist Norman Rockwell would do its covers. In later years, it would produce the paper used for the books in the Harry Potter series.^[2]