The Brown Company was a pulp and papermaking company based in Berlin, New Hampshire

Berlin, New Hampshire

Berlin is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coos County in northern New Hampshire, United States. The population was 10,051 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of Cascade. Located on the edge of the White Mountains, the city's boundaries extend into the White Mountain National Forest...

. They closed their doors after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

History

The company began as a large sawmill at the head of Berlin Falls in 1852 as the H. Winslow Company, then later changed its name to the Berlin Mills Company. William Wentworth Brown of Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

, and Lewis T. Brown bought a controlling interest

Controlling interest

Controlling interest in a corporation means to have control of a large enough block of voting stock shares in a company such that no one stock holder or coalition of stock holders can successfully oppose a motion...

 in the Berlin Mills Company. William Wentworth Brown later purchased the stock owned by Lewis T. Brown in the 1880s, acquiring complete control of the company, which changed its name again in 1917 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 to the Brown Company. The Brown family owned land that spanned from Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, which they used for logging. In the 1940s the Brown Company went through bankruptcy

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

, which led to the closing of the company. The paper mills stayed in Berlin under various companies until closing in 2006. The other plant in Gorham

Gorham, New Hampshire

Gorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,848 at the 2010 census. Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the...

is now operated by another owner.