LIVERMORE FALLS – Members of the Western Maine Paper & Heritage Museum now have a place to preserve the history of the state’s papermaking industry.

International Paper donated a house at 22 Church St., built in 1906, to the museum. The stately building atop a hill, across from the First Baptist Church, was initially built for the Record family.

In 1917, then-owner William Murray signed the property over to IP, and it became the residence for IP’s paper mill managers. In the 1970s, the company turned the house into offices for its regional forest resources team, IP stated in a news release.

The company held onto the property after its sale of the Androscoggin Mill in Jay to Verso Paper last year.

A grass-roots museum effort was launched in 2002, after a group of about 30 people gathered and decided they were interested in trying to preserve the history of the papermaking industry.

Museum board President Sherry Judd of Jay said Tuesday that meetings were held in communities throughout the region to inform the public about the museum and garner support.

The group attained nonprofit status in 2003, and in 2005 launched a campaign to raise money to buy a building to house the collection that captures the history of the papermaking industry along the Androscoggin River and the people who made it happen.

Once the museum opens, possibly in the spring, it will be the first in the state charged with preserving and showcasing papermaking in Maine.

“I was very pleased to see that IP recognized the significance of preserving the history in the area,” Judd said Tuesday.

In a statement Tuesday, David Liebetreu, IP’s vice president of global sourcing, said, “We’re proud that International Paper is a lasting part of Maine’s papermaking legacy. We commend the museum board for coming together to create the Western Maine Paper (&) Heritage Museum to preserve the history and culture of this area.”

Museum board Secretary Brenda Clark, who previously worked for IP and now works for Verso, was instrumental in getting the property donated, Judd said.

Clark said in the statement that the board thanked IP for its “generous contribution of property” to “ensure the history and culture of papermaking in Maine is preserved for many generations to come. Papermaking is not just about the process and equipment involved, it is about the people that make it all work,” Clark said.

The collection will fill the first floor of the house, which has four large rooms, and part of the second floor, she said.

The board is seeking volunteers and donations to help begin the museum, maintain it and to hold future fundraisers.

An immediate concern is a porch roof that needs repair.

Community members, businesses, state legislators and congressional delegates have been supportive of the project, she said.

A DVD that features interviews with workers and community members who talked about life in the papermaking industry was produced last year and it is for sale for $15. Anyone interested can contact Judd after 5 p.m. at 897-3117, or Roland Poirier, president of Otis Federal Credit Union, at 897-897-0900.

The board plans to give tours and set up programs for elementary school children.

“None of this could be done without the support of the communities, the mills and the wonderful board I have,” Judd said.