Salvaged timbers from an 1855 mill building in Holyoke, Mass. will be used to make reclaimed flooring and other millwork for residential and commercial projects. The reclaimed timbers were salvaged by Longleaf Lumber, a Cambridge-based reclaimed lumber company with a mill in Berwick, Maine.
The Hampden Mills building at 109 Lyman Street was a five-story Greek Revival style mill constructed in 1855. Its various owners produced fine specialty cloth, and later, dyed cotton in bulk. In recent years, one of the smaller buildings housed a collection of historical Holyoke memorabilia, collected by contractor Jim Curran. Referred to as “The Wherehouse?”, this informal museum has become a place to hold functions in Holyoke.
In 2015 it was decided that the large primary mill building should be taken down, and the wood inside dismantled for reclaiming. Working largely by hand, a local company was able to save a majority of the wood in the building. Longleaf Lumber salvaged hemlock decking 3 inches thick and up to 28 inches wide, virgin-growth white pine 6x15 inch timbers, and 6x15 inch pine beams.
For more information, visit www.longleaflumber.com.