This article was written by Suzanne Sickler Ohl, an early member of the Tyrone Area Historical Society.  It was originally published in December 1993.

How many Tyroners realize [in 1993] that the paper for the cover of National Geographic magazine is made here in their hometown?  How many people recognize the high quality of work being done at our local paper mill?  How often is thought given to the history of that paper mill and its importance in the lives of so many people?

Back in 1878 three men came to Tyrone to establish a paper mill.  They found here the forests and pure water necessary to make good paper.  Even more important was the fact that they found people with the necessary skills and the determination to work hard to succeed.  This same old-fashioned work ethic still lives on today at the Tyrone Paper Mill.

On April 7, 1882 John L. Morrison, Daniel M. Bare, and Joseph K. Cass obtained the mill site deed from Lyon, Shorb, and Company.  Of interest is the fact that the frame structure mill was built and running by October 1880, two years before the men owned the land.  They paid $3,000 for the original mill site of four or five acres.

In June 1882 fire destroyed the mill but it was quickly rebuilt of brick.  The brick smoke stack was eighty feet high and could be seen from all over the town.  Of the original plant, still standing [in 1993] is the boiler house, power house, machine finishing room, and main entrance up to the blue room addition.  The addition was added in the 1960s.

The railroad siding brought fuel and raw materials to the mill and carried the paper products to market.  The choice of wood used then to make the paper pulp was bass, poplar, and white pine.  The Pulp Mill operations ceased in 1970 and with it went the odor that was so characteristic of early paper mills.

            It was fortunate that pure water, so important in the production of fine paper, was found here in the Tyrone area.  The original water supply came from the Bald Eagle Creek.

            Knowing that the mill’s expansion and production capacity was determined by its water supply, the company purchased the Hundred Springs Park on January 9, 1909 as an additional source.  The first water was pumped from there on October 29, 1910. 

            Another historical site at Orchard Crossing was purchased in July 1933 from J. Heddings.  Eventually Logan Spring Run was acquired.  In 1940 seven million gallons of water were used daily in the mill.  Today [in 1993] about nine million gallons per day are being used, half of it in production and the rest for circulation around the turbine for cooling.

            At one time the Paper Mill helped the town in construction of the additional sewage treatment facilities for shared use.  Today [in 1993], Westvaco is no longer involved with sewage treatment except as a customer.

            Another past cooperative venture was to share their water supply for public use.  When the [Pennsylvania] Department of Environmental Resources ordered the addition of chlorine to drinking water this practice was no longer possible.  Chlorine in water is not suitable for paper production.  Presently [in 1993] the water from Bald Eagle Creek is used for cooling, after which it is circulated back to the source.  The Paper Mill also installed seven fire plugs throughout the town as a public service.  These were removed in 1992.

Personnel

            On April 16, 1885 Daniel Bare left the partnership to return to his paper mill in Roaring Spring [Pennsylvania].  When the mill consolidated with the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company in 1889 it retained the name of Morrison and Cass.  It was changed to West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company in 1910 and to Westvaco in the 1950s.

            John Morrison served as the first manager until his death in October 1890.  Joseph Cass took over until 1909 when the greatly respected John G. Anderson became manager.  Mr. Anderson was credited with many innovations and improvements plus being very supportive of community projects.

            Following Mr. Anderson’s sudden death in January 1927 he was succeeded by Edwin S. Hooker.  Illness caused Mr. Hooker to resign in 1946 and James R. Shea, a fourth generation mill worker and then General Superintendent, took over.  Another native Tyroner, Mr. J. Lynne Ferner, manager at the Williamsburg [Pennsylvania] plant, assumed the added responsibility of the Tyrone Mill following Mr. Shea’s untimely death in 1952.

            Mr. Fred Haas next was manager from July 1972 until 1974 when he was re-assigned to the Charleston, South Carolina plant.  Anthony Androski then served as manager until his transfer to Wickliffe, Kentucky in 1976.  (Note that Mr. Androski returned to the Tyrone area following his retirement.)  Mr. Girard L. Calehuff’s term as manager was from June 1976 until June 1979 followed by Mr. Donald Clem until 1985.  The present manager [in 1993], who came in 1985, is Mr. Charles Whitfield.

            Also important to the running of the Paper Mill have been the General Superintendents.  The first superintendent was Tom Bygate who served for a short time.  He was followed by John G. Luke who later was to become President of the company.  Serving for many years was Harrison Henry who died on March 23, 1934.  Mr. James Shea, with twenty-seven years of paper production experience, succeeded to the job.

            Mr. J. Lynne Ferner, who also had many years of experience at the Tyrone Mill, succeeded Mr. Shea as General Superintendent in 1946.  Succeeding him were Henry Mosseker, Phil Madeiros, and John Harris, the present [1993] superintendent.

            Seventy-five men were employed in the early 1880s to make twelve tons of paper each day.  Girls were also employed, their job being to take the paper from the cutting machines and lay the edges even.  Other girls counted the paper into reams and folded it into bundles.  Today [in 1993] girls are employed in the offices and in production doing jobs similar to the men.

            Before 1900 there were about 250 employees producing thirty tons of high quality book and writing paper daily.  By 1940s and 1950s there were about 650 employees reaching a peak of 800 when the Flakeboard Division was in full production.  Today [in 1993] there are about 300 employees, 34 of them being women.

            In 1897, $120,000 was paid in yearly wages.  In 1976 the year’s benefits and wages amounted to $5,985,000.  In 1992 the figure had risen to $10,000,000 a year.  In 1992 more than $140,000 was paid in real estate taxes to the Borough of Tyrone.

            From the beginning the Luke family has been associated with the history of the paper mill.  William Luke and his two sons produced the first commercially successful sulfite chemical wood pulp on this continent.  This was in a small shop in Luke, Maryland.

            John G. Luke was the second Superintendent of the Tyrone Mill in its early years.  David Luke, Jr. lived at 323 Washington Avenue when he was associated with the Tyrone Mill.  Some of my early family pictures show his two sons, David Luke III and John Anderson Luke, pictured among our early childhood playmates.  When the family moved to New York City on May 1, 1927, the Luke home was deeded to the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company.  These Luke boys eventually became Presidents and Chief Executive Officers of the company.

            The Westvaco Club, formerly the Luke home at Hillcrest, was operated by the company for the entertainment of inter-mill and other guests of the company.  The home became the property of Earl P. and Evetta Collins on August 12, 1976.

            Recently [ca. 1993] John Anderson Luke, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, visited the Tyrone Mill.

Flood

            As a result of the historic flood of March 17, 1936, the mill suffered severe damage due to its being in the path of the badly swollen Bald Eagle Creek.  Two concrete retaining walls gave way thus letting fifty-four inches of water flow down Pennsylvania Avenue, four to five feet of water into the mill cellar, and two inches of water onto the main floor.  The mill was shut down from 2:30 p.m. on the 17^th until 11 a.m. the next day.  Several hundred people, mostly mill employees and families, were housed in the paper mill finishing department and in the Hillcrest Clubhouse during the height of the storm.  As soon as order was restored, rebuilding of the mill took place rapidly.

Mill Products

            In addition to making fine quality paper, the paper mill produced other fine products.  The manufacture of activated carbon, a process pioneered by Westvaco, was carried on for many years in Tyrone.  Many of us remember the boxes of carbon we kept in our refrigerators to prevent odors.  Another important carbon product was known as Aqua Nuchard, used in municipal water systems for the removal of odors and other objectionable matters.

            This important production facility was moved to Covington, Virginia in April 1950.  However, the Carbon Research Laboratory was retained in Tyrone under the direction of Dr. John Hassler.  Although the Research Labs now [in 1993] are located in other communities, there continues to be a Quality and Technical Department at the Tyrone plant.

            On July 8, 1958 the company opened the particle board plant under the direction of Mr. J. Lynne Ferner.  This was for the production of high quality building board known as Flakeboard.  This plant cost $1,500,000 to construct and had a capacity of producing 20,000,000 square feet per year.  Due to the depressed building market in the early 1960s, flakeboard production was curtailed with the plant eventually being closed.

            Today’s [in 1993] major product is the American Eagle Line of Paper made of fifty percent recycled paper.  First produced in November 1989 it was under the quality control managership of Mr. Jon Fries.  To obtain high quality coated and uncoated paper the mill uses high quality paper (mostly computer paper) for the recycling process.  They also have developed a “de-inking process” which enables the ink on the paper to be floated off the recycled fiber.  This high quality paper should receive more publicity for its excellent printability, runnability [sic], and reliability.

Environment

            Westvaco long has been committed to conserving and using natural resources wisely and to replacing or improving what is being used daily.

            At Tyrone the voluntary reclamation of a landfill, closed in the 1970s, was begun in 1992.  It included the restoration and expansion of wetlands along Bald Eagle Creek at a cost of $3.7 million with no government funding.  Completed in October 1993 the project covers 4.5 acres including one acre that will be wetlands.

            Another practice was how to reduce and recycle waste.  Research was done to determine whether it was feasible to burn waste fiber to produce energy for the plant as well as for any other use.

            In 1983 the mill installed a state-of-the-art air emission cleaning device for its boiler.  Separate gas and coal stacks now are being used to handle the filter emissions following a plant close-down.

            All water used from the creek for cooling is recycled.  Important too is the fact that all safety standards are being rigidly enforced.

The Future

            Appreciation is expressed to Mr. John Ferner for his help in updating the Historical Society’s files relating to the Tyrone Paper Mill.  A valuable project that some retired mill employees might undertake would be to compile the names of Tyrone people who worked at the Paper Mill, especially those of several generations.  A similar roster is being compiled for the Tyrone Division employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad by some retired employees.

            Even though little is written about the contributions of Paper Mill employees to the community, many of us are aware of some of their projects.  With more of this information available, the heritage of the Tyrone Paper Mill and its employees can be documented.  Westvaco is just another reason why Tyroners are proud of their businesses and industries.