This large, historic factory once stood abandoned alongside the banks of the Chagrin River in Chagrin Falls. Operations began nearly 161 years ago, but as of today, nothing remains but the towering smokestack, and stories of what once was.

The factory began its life in 1858 as a water-powered paper mill. It would not be until 10 years later in 1868 that the company was purchased by Cleveland industrialists Fitch and Alfred Adams. Fitch and Adams would then go on to create the Adams Bag Co. Paper Mill and Sack Factory, converting the mill to a manila rope paper mill and bag manufacturing facility.

The company held quite a bit of historical significance to the area. This factory was one of the longest continuously operating paper mills and bag makers in the United States. This water-powered factory was one of nine mills that formerly lined the Chagrin River, and once the largest of its kind in the nation. The factory was producing 30 million bags annually by 1919. For this reason, it was considered essential to the national welfare, seeing as it produced the vast majority of manila rope paper bags during World War I. These bags were used to hold shipments of flour and cereal products. Nobody would have ever imagined that many years later, it would be totally empty, void of any life.

The factory lived quite a long life, operating for many years until eventually closing for good in 2004. The property was then purchased by Spillway LLC – a team of developers who aimed to bring the historic structure back to life as retail and office space, as well as a restaurant and brewery. The land and buildings were purchased for $400,000 in 2008.

Numerous attempts had been made to both bring it back to life, as well as place it on the National Register of Historic Places, but unfortunately it was a case of bad timing for this historic structure. Bob Darden, one of the partners in Spillway LLC was one of many helping in application for credits for registration. Unfortunately the applications were denied, and plans for renovation fell through as companies backed out of the project. Over time, the factory continued to crumble and fall apart, until finally being demolished in 2018; so many years of history, gone in a matter of days.

Before demolition, the structures that still stood on the property ranged from buildings constructed in 1859 through the early 1920s.

It’s sad to know that something with such historical significance to the area is now no more than rubble. It’s important to keep these stories alive.

Learn more about Alfred Adams and his history with Chagrin Falls HERE

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OHIO’S FORGOTTEN HISTORY PARTS 1 & 2:

My 6th and 7th books, and first two in a series of books showcasing Ohio’s abandoned and forgotten history. The story shown in this blog post is one of the places that will be featured in part 3 of the series. Orders for part 1 and 2 are currently open, and you can find more info about the books at either link below:

Part 1 – HERE

Part 2 – HERE

Both books can be ordered together as a bundle on either page.

Thank you so much for your support!