| A CN local approaches N. Lawe St. as it heads northeast via former C&NW rails at Appleton, WI on 13 Jun. '18. The north side of the historic Tuttle Press Co. factory, 600 E. Hancock St., Appleton, WI, is partially visible at left. The first part was constructed in 1905, over the years the factory grew until it occupied the entire city block as it does now. A. F. Tuttle, founder and president, invented the first multi-color web printing press for printing tissue paper. The company was purchased by Northern Paper Mills, Green Bay, on 18 Sep. ‘29. Fox Valley Corp., nothing but a holding company, purchased it at some point prior to the mid-‘70s. It continued to operate as Tuttle Press Co. until early ‘83, when the holding company merged it with George S. Carrington Co. of Leominster, Mass., to form Artfaire. Fox Valley Corp. moved this facility’s production to one of their other subsidiaries in Tenn. around ‘90. The facility then became Sulpaco West, Inc., part of Sullivan Paper Co. in Mass. They shuttered this facility on 27 Jun. ’02, when they moved its production to one of their other facilities in Mass. For about a century the facility produced a variety of renowned specialty papers: napkins, table covers, tissue, craft paper, paper dolls, gift boxes, crepe paper and especially gift wrapping paper. There haven’t been any business signs on the building for several years, but I’ve seen Appleton Papers/Appvion trailers parked at the loading docks in the past. Some vague internet references suggest that it has also been used by Milltown Paper, Inc. in the not-too-distant past. The guard rail next to the covered hopper stands where the N. Union St. grade crossing used to be. Train was headed for Little Chute and Kaukauna. |