Madison Mill in Focus: Then and Now

As construction continues at the TimberHP manufacturing plant in Madison, Maine, we only grow more fascinated by the rich history of the mill. The building actually includes two different mills. 
 
There’s the newer mill, built in 1980. This is where TimberHP will make wood fiber insulation. In July, the outside façade of this main building will begin to change dramatically as equipment, extending as high as eight stories above the building’s existing roof, is erected to convey, refine, dry, and blend daily shipments of wood chips. The interior of the building will be transformed as well with the installation of three separate manufacturing lines.
 
Behind the newer building, right along the Kennebec River, is the old mill.

Constructed in the late 1800s, this building is a living testament to the toughness, ingenuity, and hard work of our ancestors. Large blocks of granite form the mill’s foundation. The exterior features layer after layer of red brick, built up around a building frame constructed of steel beams. 
 
If you’ve read our past newsletters, you know how lucky we are to have been able to hire some highly-talented people with decades of experience at the mill working in mechanical and electrical engineering, operations, and maintenance. We were thrilled when one of our colleagues, Facilities Supervisor Ralph Tranten, showed up in the marketing office one day with a small manila envelope filled with old photos of the original mill building under construction. (Ralph’s great grandfathers were some of the individuals responsible for setting the granite foundation stones of the original mill).  We’re equally as thrilled to be able to share some of these photos with you. We hope you find them as fascinating as we do!