Reminiscing with Pearl Playford
Published March 28, 1963
One of the nicest things that ever happened to Watervliet was when men came here from Holyoke, Massachusetts, looking for a site to build a paper mill. That was 70 years ago and the incident will be remembered by many of our older residents. The men, Syms and Dudley, owned a mill in the East, but they sold it and came West to look for a suitable location and Watervliet was the ideal spot. It was selected for the site of Watervliet’s first paper mill. The men had looked about quite extensively even going as far West as California, but because of the splendid water power furnished by the Paw Paw River, Watervliet was the most suitable. We should look back with pride and gratitude to those men of the East who were responsible for giving the small community of Watervliet a real boost.
