Last machine shuts down at International Paper near Franklin

FRANKLIN

A little after noon Thursday, Mary Rich glanced out the window of her antiques shop on Main Street.

The dense bursts of steam billowing above the International Paper mill less than a mile away had virtually vanished. Then it dawned on her: The mill was about to stop operating.

"It's sad, sad," Rich said. "Sad for the people, sad for the town. This is going to affect every single one of us."

At 7:30 a.m. and 4:20 p.m., the mill's last two functioning machines were shut down, ending a nearly 75-year run of paper production. The 800 remaining employees will return to work today to secure equipment and process inventory as the mill phases out employment through June, spokesman Desmond Stills said.

For many, the day offered no sense of closure. No ceremonies, other than the clicking of cameras, when the machines were turned off. No hugs or tears at shift's end.

"It ain't much different now," Ric Shaner, 52, of Capron, a 16-year veteran of the plant, said after he finished his shift in the middle of the afternoon. "It will be, too soon."

At the time, Carroll Story, president of the mill's union, was meeting with union officers at nearby Fred's restaurant. He knew he had to leave before the final machine shut down.

"They're running a little late," he said as he waited to cross Main Street. "I want to be there with my men when it happens."

A few minutes later, David Rabil, son of the restaurant's owner, 92-year-old Fred Rabil, looked out the window. He, too, couldn't believe the clear skies.

"Man, ain't a bit of steam coming out of those stacks over there," he said. "It's a sad day. A sad day."

He turned, walked to the bar, went back to the window.

The restaurant displays mottoes Franklin has used in hard times. The latest, hanging near the front of the bar, reads:

"You can't shut down a good town."

Business at Fred's, a popular lunch and after-work hangout for International Paper workers, has dropped about 40 percent, David Rabil said. Former patrons, he said, have moved to Alabama and Arkansas or taken jobs in Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News.

Outside the mill, many employees said they didn't know where they would work next.

"Ain't no need to worry about it," said Robert Harrell, 59, of Gatesville, N.C. The 40-year mill veteran works in shipping and expects to stay through June. "We might have to drive a little farther; we might work for less. But it'll work out."

Howard Hawkins, 54, of Franklin, a 34-year veteran, said: "I think God has different plans at different seasons of life. A lot of people can't see that yet."

The atmosphere at the mill has been hushed, several people said.

"It's like going to a funeral every day," said Amy Gay, 33, of Franklin. "It's a somber mood."

That's true, said 24-year vet Cheryl Parker, but the shutdown has drawn people closer.

"They're always asking: 'What are you going to do? Have you heard anything?' " said Parker, 44, of Sedley.

The mill's history spans more than a century. The local Camp brothers bought the facility, then a sawmill, in 1887 and established Camp Manufacturing Co. It began manufacturing paper in 1936. Camp Manufacturing merged with Union Bag and Paper Corp. of New York in 1956 to become Union Bag-Camp Paper Corp., later renamed Union Camp Corp. International Paper bought Union Camp in 1999.

In October, International Paper announced it would close the mill, which employed 1,100. It cited declining demand for its main product, uncoated freesheet paper, used for copy paper.

The mill accounted for 19 percent of the company's uncoated-freesheet capacity. Both of the machines that were shut down Thursday produced freesheet.

The last that went down, No. 4, was "very demanding" and not his favorite, Hawkins said.

"We'll give up smelling the mill and seeing what the kids call 'stinky clouds,' " said Brian Dunlow, 40, of Franklin, who works in transportation for the mill.

When Dunlow's son was younger, he used to say: "My dad makes stinky clouds for a living."

Back at the antiques shop, Mary Rich occasionally looked out the window. The clouds hadn't returned, but her mood had lifted.

"I think Franklin is going to be OK," she said. "Everybody loves Franklin. The strong people want to stay here."

Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com

Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864,phil.walzer@pilotonline.com