RUMFORD – A fledgling committee that wants to establish a pulp and paper museum in honor of the Rumford/Jay area is looking for people with ideas and energy.

A meeting to organize people from the River Valley area is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Rumford Public Library.

The Pulp and Paper Heritage Museum Committee has been meeting in the Jay/Livermore Falls area for about six months. It was started by that area’s chamber of commerce. Although one or two meetings have been held in the Rumford area, more commitment, ideas and talents from River Valley people are needed to make the museum successful.

At a meeting held in Rumford during the spring, participants pointed out the rich historical and cultural heritage shared by the two regions.

Both share the same river and have a paper mill started by the same man.

Many of the same ethnic groups moved into the areas to work in the mill and provide other support.

“Developing a museum can create a way to preserve this heritage and provide another way to promote tourism in the area. The museum will also offer an educational platform to teach our children about their family cultural heritage and family work history as well as to learn about the conversion of wood into paper,” stated Paul Jones, a retired paper mill worker in a press release.

Jones, from Dixfield, has served as a liaison between the Rumford/Mexico and Jay/Livermore Falls areas.

Organizers want to create a museum that would promote interest, display artifacts and develop educational programs that will illustrate the growth, evolution and importance of the paper industry and the people who worked in it.

Susan Gagnon and Sherry Judd, both with family ties to the paper industry, started the effort.

They are from the Jay/Livermore Falls area.

All are welcomed to attend the meeting. Light refreshments will be served.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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