Mead Paper Company in Dayton

Growing up, my mother worked as a travel agent in the Mead building that used to be located in downtown Dayton.  Today, the large structure remains, but is now the Key Bank building.  She was a travel agent and had nothing to do with the Mead Paper Co., but her role sparked my interest in learning more about the company.  How did this company begin?

Col. Daniel E. Mead, 1817-1891

In 1846, Daniel E. Mead opened  his first paper mill as the Ellis, Chafflin & Company.  Dayton was a prime location as the mill was located near some of the country's most important trading points and cheap water power.  The first paper mills in this area utilized rags and wheat straw as raw material rather than wood pulp.

Daniel Mead joined the firm of W.A. & J.L. Weston, creating the Weston & Mead Co. in 1859.  This company continued until 1866 when J.L. Weston sold his interest to Thomas Nixon.  The firm became Mead & Nixon at that point.  Mead bought out Nixon in 1881, establishing the Mead Paper Company in 1882.  In 1889, the plant was described as four stories high , 200 x 100 feet in size, surrounded by other buildings operated by the mill.  In 1890, Mead purchased a facility in Chillicothe.  During the first decade of it's existence, the company averaged annual profits of $22,000, peaking at $50,000 in 1891, the year of Daniel Mead's passing.  By that time, the Mead Corporation was one of the largest paper producers in the U.S.    He passed the management of his company off to his sons, Charles and Harry Mead. Poor spending and substantial salaries caused the company to fall on hard times at the turn of the century.  Management turned to Harry's business-minded son, George Mead, who left his job in Philadelphia to help the family company.  It became the Mead Pulp and Paper Company.

The Mead Pulp and Paper Co. acquired the Peerless Paper Company in Dayton in 1925.  This mill produced book paper for several years following the purchase, but was later dismantled.  The building was then leased to the Frigidaire Corp.  The company expanded significantly in the 1950s and 60s, manufacturing corrugated cardboard shipping containers and paperboard in its recycling plants.  Mead purchased Data Corporation, an electronic record keeping service, in 1958, leading to new programs such as LexisNexis in 1973.  These systems were later sold to Reed Elsevier in 1994.  The company began experiencing difficult economic times in the 1980s.  

Mead Tower, now Key Bank, in the 1970s

Key Bank located headquarters in the building after the Mead Corporation moved to Richmond, Virginia during its merger with Westvaco (now MeadWestvaco) in 2001.  Its local presence was significantly downsized in 2006.

Random fun fact:  Daniel Mead was deeded lot 59 in Dayton in 1870, along with the Music Hall Co.  Thanks to him, the Music Hall (aka Victoria Theatre) was opened in 1871 after a fire destroyed the Turner Opera House in 1869. It's been fun learning about Daniel while researching the theatre.  I'm glad I was able to find out some early information regarding his paper empire.

Sources:

http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/papertype.html

http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/3432383.htm

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/the-mead-corporation-history/

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Mead_Corporation

http://www.emporis.com/buildings/128308/keybank-tower-dayton-oh-usa

http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/ddn_archive/2011/05/17/dayton-industries-and-inventors/