The Walker Woolen Mill, also known as the Foster Mill, was built in Wilton, Maine, in 1840. It was expanded and refurbished over the next 40–50 years using local local pine and wood eventually shipped using the transcontinental railroad.
Maine is the most wooded state in the United States, and has a long history of manufacturing everything from shoes to paper. Charles Forster, a later owner who has been called the "father of the toothpick" used the mill to produce the world's first toothpick in 1881. It later housed a supplier of fabric to the automotive industry and a factory producing plastic cutlery. In 2015, the Town of Wilton acquired it through foreclosure.
By 2019 the mill had undergone the final stages of demolition.
References
- Wilton, Town of. "HISTORY OF WILTON TIME LINE". Town of Wilton, Maine. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- "Transcontinental Railroad". History Magazine. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- Sturdevant, Joseph. "Inventor of the Toothpick was from Maine". Maine Mill History. C & E Jensen Assoc, LLC. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- Stanley, George. "Charles Forster Fathered The Toothpick Industry And Built First Toothpick Mill" (PDF). Town of Dixfield. Town of Dixfield, Maine. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- Hanstein, Ben (2020-03-04). "Wilton board discusses future of former Forster mill property". Daily Bulldog. Archived from the original on October 14, 2024. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
44°35′24″N 70°13′16″W / 44.5901°N 70.2211°W / 44.5901; -70.2211
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