By 1869 Holyoke boasted eleven paper mills and had established itself as “The Paper City.” Between 1884 and 1904 Holyoke produced nearly ninety percent of the paper in the United States.

1884 Issue of The Paper Mill, A weekly journal of practical information, machinery, appliances and supplies for paper makers.

In 1888 Parsons built Parsons Paper Company No. 2 between the two highest- level canals on Sargeant Street. A year later he closed his original plant.

Photograph by Milan P. Warner

By this time Parsons had rejected the industry trend of producing cheaper quality paper utilizing a chemically treated wood pulp in favor of mostly cotton rag that produced the high quality ledger and bond paper Parsons Paper Co. was known for.

Pages from 1920s Salesmen's Paper Sample Book

Parsons Paper Company barely survived the Great Depression but made a comeback during World War II by producing invasion currency.