Burgess Sulphite Paper Mill, Berlin

The earliest paper mills at Berlin, New Hampshire, relied on the soda process to making wood pulp—a process that was never completely satisfactory. With the perfection in the mid-1880s of the sulfite process for breaking down wood fibers, this large plant was built on the east side of the Androscoggin River. In a matter of only a few years, the Berlin paper mill (which recently closed) was to become the largest employer in northern New Hampshire.