Rumford for Real
Maligned and misunderstood, the people of this Androscoggin River milltown are proud of their past and are working to build a brighter future.
By Monica Wood, Photography by Dean Abramson
Nestled into the palm of one of the prettiest river valleys in Maine resides a series of industrial plants that compose the Rumford paper mill. Blight or beauty, depending on your perspective, the mill creates its own distinctive landscape: jutting steam stacks; dark knolls of pulpwood sculpting the ground; golden hillocks of wood chips poised near giant conveyors; and a crosshatch of railroad tracks where boxcars and tankcars await unloading. Though recently turned over for the third time since its first sale back in 1967, the mill appears mighty and unassailable.
