Berlin Pulp Mill Site, New Hampshire

Berlin is the northernmost city in the state, and was dominated by a big pulp and paper mill for most of its modern existence. The first big saw mill was built in at the site, at head of the falls on the Androscoggin River in 1852, and the town soon grew into a major wood products center surrounded by the state’s northern forests. The mills have been owned by many companies over the years, including the Brown Company, and the James River Corporation, but declines in the industry plagued the city. The Berlin Pulp Mill finally closed permanently by its then owner Fraser Papers, in 2006, and the 121 acre mill, with 300 foot tall smokestacks, was dismantled later that year. The city has embraced the correctional industry, starting with a state prison in 1999, then a federal medium security prison in 2012, both located north of town, and employing around 500 people. Some of the old mill site has been turned into the Burgess Biopower plant, which burns up to 80 truckloads of woodchips a day to generate 75 megawatts of electricity.