HOW TO GO
WHAT: Beckett Paper Co. exhibit, chronicling 164 years of Beckett Paper Co. history
WHEN: June 9 through Nov. 30
WHERE: Butler County Historical Society, 327 N. Second St., Hamilton
HOURS: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays
Finishing touches are being made on the Butler County Historical Society’s latest exhibit opening this month.
The 164-year history of the Beckett Paper Co. will be on display inside the historic Benninghofen House starting June 9 with hundreds of items including an original vault door, scores of photos of employees at work inside the mill and at company picnics, pages of retro advertisements and other documents of the time.
The exhibit is the historical society’s largest ever and encompasses three rooms, said Kathy Creighton, executive director. She said the exhibit includes a large piece of wall removed from Beckett, with the scrawling “R.I.P. Beckett Mill 1848-2012,” for all former employees to sign.
The Beckett Paper Co., which operated from 1848 to 2012, had 550 employees and exported paper to 34 countries at its peak, said David Belew, former president and chairman, who’s been overseeing development of the exhibit. It was the third oldest paper mill in America at the time it closed.
“It was a small mill but well known because we specialized,” Belew said, including the first cover paper and first fluorescent white printing paper.
Belew worked at Beckett for 32 years, starting as advertising manager in 1960 before becoming president of the company and retiring as chairman in 1992.
“Beckett was like family and the people that worked there felt that way,” Belew said.
The exhibit also includes original copies of the Beckett News Letter, distributed for 55 years to customers, and the internal publication Life at Beckett that shared news of employees, retirees and their families.
“The most meaningful thing to me is to have so many past employees represented here,” Belew said. “The Becketts were very history oriented, they established a pattern of keeping memorabilia. I practiced that philosophy.”
Also on display will be an original desk used by founder William Beckett; the original door to the chapel; a piano that belonged to Thomas Beckett, son of William Beckett; and original board of directors meeting minutes that started in 1876.
The Beckett Paper exhibit will run June 9 through Nov. 30. The historical society, located at 327 N. Second St., is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
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