Articles & Text Documents
Relating to the History of
The Jaite Company Paper Mill

Introduction to a late 1960s Owens-Illinois Brochure of the Jaite Mill
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ARTICLES:

November 02, 1910: TWO WORKMEN KILLED
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September 09, 1926: MASKED BANDITS STEAL JAITE PAYROLL
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November 26, 1926: POLICE THINK HAVE CAUGHT OHIO GANG
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May 20, 1938: 125 EMPLOYEES MAROONED
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February 13, 1956: MAN GROUND TO PIECES
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April 16, 1965: BOX COMPANY BUYS SIX GLASS PLANTS
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September 11, 1965: DIES WHEN PULLED INTO PAPER MILL
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March 10, 1967: OWENS-ILLINOIS TO CLOSE PLANT
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October 13, 1967: TECUMSEH BOX PURCHASES MILL NEAR CLEVELAND
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July 31, 1983: NATIONAL PARK TO REHABILITATE JAITE
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January 20, 1985: CUYAHOGA VALLEY RAILROAD LINE OFFICES MOVING INTO JAITE
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September 10, 1985: PUTTING A LEASE ON HISTORY: VALLEY PARK IS SAVING OLD HOMES
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July 15, 1986: LEGAL WORK HOLDS UP VALLEY TRAIN FOR YEAR
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December 18, 1987: PAPER MILL LEASE AVAILABLE
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September 9, 1988: HORSESHOES WILL FLY IN OLD MILL
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December, 1989: EXPLANATION OF TERMINATION OF HORSESHOE LEASE PROPOSAL
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November 20, 1990: MISSOURI COMPANY STRIKES DEAL TO TAKE OVER JAITE PACKAGING
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October 3, 1992: FLAMES CONSUME VACANT PAPER MILL
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October 6, 1992: ABANDONED PAPER MILL TO BE RAZED AFTER FIRE
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October 29, 2000: SAD FATE OF ONCE-BUSTLING JAITE MILL
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May, 2006: JAITE MILL DEMOLITION BEGINS
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OBITUARIES:

December 02, 1932: Emil W. Jaite
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March 14, 193?: Charles H. Jaite
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September 11, 1965: Charles Jones
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Date unknown: Edward J. Wierzbicki
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March 04, 1982: Robert G. Jaite, Sr.
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August 16, 1987: Elmer F. Koudela
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Introduction to a late 1960s Owens-Illinois Brochure of the Jaite Mill
Photographs from this brochure may be seen on our Historic Images page.

The Jaite Mill
Owens-Illinois, Inc., Forest Products Division, Jaite, Ohio.

Owens-Illinois, Jaite Mill, came into being back in 1906. It was started by a local family by the name of Jaite. The Jaite Paper Mill was guided by them until 1951 when they sold out to National Container Corporation. For the next five years, theis was the National Container Corporation headquarters for Jaite, Kansas City, and Valdosta, Ga. National Container Corporation then merged with Owens-Illinois in 1956.

The Jaite Mill is nestled in the Cuyahoga Valley half way between Akron and Cleveland. It is located in North Summit County in Sagamore Hills. In 1906, it was ideally located because of its proximity to the Railroad and the Ohio Canal. It is surrounded by the Cuyahoga River and Brandywine Creek which in early times was used as a source of water.

In one sense, this location was comparable to a Mill or Mining town. It had a number of company houses, a local store, local post office, and a local railroad station. Early company records show that people were paid so much per hour plus transportation. Actually, the company sent a team of horses and wagon scurrying over the country sid picking up employees each morning. After an 8 or 10 hour day, the men were required to spend several additional hours mixing cement and mortar to add on new buildings.

Originally the Jaite Mill manufactured a "Blue Line Paper", the type used for flour bags. This was produced on a cylinder machine. Later a second machine was installed and this was used for "Rope Stock". In 1919, a cylinder machine was installed for the manufacture of single wall bags. In 1926 and 1927, the second and third cylinder machines were rebuildt as fourdrinier machines for the production of multiwall bag paper. At the time, Jaite was considered the 11th largest Multiwall producer in the nation.

The mill and bag factory managed to operate during the Depression Era. It employed as many as 250 people. Several years ago we retired an employee with 51 years service and presently have an employee with 49 years of service. Our average years of service for the present 65 employees is 13.4 years.

It was during the National Container days that our #2 machine was dismantled and reinstalled in the Tomahawk, Wisconsin Mill. Presently, we have only one Fourdrinier Machine with a 78" trim and it is producing an average of 65 tons per day. Our highest daily tonnage is 82. It is our hope to increase our tonnage by another 35 tons in the very near future.

The Bag Factory was closed in 1958 with much of the machinery and equipment being removed and sent to Valdosta, Ga.

Since Owens-Illinois took over the leadership of the Jaite Mill, it has been producing a Nesten Kraft and Chip Liner. In 1965, 26# semi-chem was introduced and has proved quite successful.

There are many adjoining buildings that make up the present mill property. In all, there is about 154,879 square feet of floor space. There are some 100 acres quaintly located in this beautiful valley owned by O-I.

When O-I took over in 1956, Mr. James Kudma was appointed Mill Manager and remained in this capacity until his retirement in 1965 after 46 years of service at Jaite. His successor is Mr. Jack F. Brown who was promoted to this position from the O-I managerial training program. It is the hopes of Mr. Brown and his staff to increase the daily tonnage to 100 tons by 1969.

(Editor's Note-Less than two years after this brochure was written, Owens-Illinois announced it would be closing the mill.)
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November 02, 1910: TWO WORKMEN KILLED
The Mansfield News

Zemansky (missing) and George Bullock, workmen with the Jaite Paper Mill Company at Vaughn, were killed today by being caught in the machinery. Zemansky leaves a [wife] and two children.
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September 09, 1926: MASKED BANDITS STEAL JAITE PAYROLL
The Coshocton Tribune

CLEVELAND. O.. Sept. Masked bandits at noon today, held up two officials of the Jaite Paper Company, at Jaite, Ohio, near hTe, robbed them of a $584.00 payroll and escaped in an automobile. Cleveland police were notified that the bandit car [was headed] in the direction of Cleveland. [Bandits?] distant, and they dispatched squads to watch the roads. Charles Jaite president and Julius Kreckel treasurer, of the paper company came to a Cleveland bank and obtained [money] this morning, to meet the payroll. As they left a B.O. train at Jaite, which is near Northfield, the bandits were lying in wait for them. The masked bandit trio stopped their automobile, covered them with [?] and seized the payroll. After tying the two men and leaving them in a field, the bandits drove Jaite's car a short way then fled in their own machine.
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November 26, 1926: POLICE THINK HAVE CAUGHT OHIO GANG
The Coshocton Tribune

Cleveland Police Think They Have Caught Ohio Gang:
CLEVELAND. O.. Information gained from the 3 prisoners taken in a raid upon an alleged bandits rendezvous near here, today led police officials to the belief that they have caught members of a band which is responsible for wholesale robberies in northern Ohio cities. Detective Inspector Cornelius Cody early today declared that 1 of the number are believed to have participated in the payroll robbery of the Jaite paper mill, near Cleveland, and robbery of the North Olmstead bank, in which [missing] was taken in the holdup.
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May 20, 1938: 125 EMPLOYEES MAROONED
The Times Recorder (Zainesville, Oh)

At the Jaite Co., Paper bag manufacturing firm, located on the Cuyahoga river mid-way between Cleveland and Akron, company officials said approximately 125 employees were temporarily marooned when the river rose 10 feet within three hours and water surrounded the plant.
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February 13, 1956: MAN GROUND TO PIECES
The Zainesville Signal

A 50-year-old Akron man was ground into pieces Saturday when he fell into paper-making machinery while working at the National Paper Container Corp. in Jaite, southeastern Cuyahoga County.
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April 16, 1965: BOX COMPANY BUYS SIX GLASS PLANTS
The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, W.Va)

Box Board Co. Alton of Alton announced Thursday that it purchased six plants which Owens-Illinois Glass Co. was forced to sell to satisfy an anti-trust judgment. The six properties were sold in settlement of a suit filed by the Justice Department against Owens-Illinois in 1955. A U. S. district court in Toledo, Ohio, approved a consent judgment in 1963 when Owens agreed to sell the properties. The six facilities are a Kraft Paperboard mill at Jacksonville, Fla., and corrugated container Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Owens-Illinois will continue to operate four other containerboard mills at Valdosta, Ga., Tomahawk, Wis., Big Island, Va., and Jaite, Ohio.
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September 11, 1965: DIES WHEN PULLED INTO PAPER MILL
Source Unknown

Boston TWP.- A machine helper for the Owens-Illinois Forest Products at Jaite was killed when he was pulled into a paper mill Friday at the plant.
Charles Jones, 22, of 4642 Riverview Rd., was helping to feed paper onto a reel when he was pulled into the reel, plant officials said.
A co-worker, Ellis Chrisman of 3991 Northampton Rd., Northampton Twp., quickly pulled Jones from the reel but it was too late to save his life.
Born in Akron, Jones had been employed at the plant a year.
He leaves his wife, Mary, sons Jeffrey and Carl, at home; Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Jones of Peninsula; Sisters Lucille and Rebecca of Peninsula; Brothers Delbert of Delaware, N.J., and Curtiss of Peninsula, and half-sisters Mrs. Josephine Brown of Akron and Mrs. Pauline Smith of California.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the McGowan-Reid Funeral Home, Cuyahoga Falls, where friends will be recieved tonight from 7 to 9 and Sunday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Burial will be at Peninsula Cemetery.
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March 10, 1967: OWENS-ILLINOIS TO CLOSE PLANT
News Journal (Mansfield, Oh)

Owens-Illinois Inc. announced it will close its containerboard mill at Jaite, Ohio, on March 17. The 61-year-old plant employs 71 persons. "Every effort is being made to place those employees who so desire into other operations of Owens Illinois." said Edwin D. Dodd, executive vice president of the firm.
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October 13, 1967: TECUMSEH BOX PURCHASES MILL NEAR CLEVELAND
Van Wert Times-Bulletin

Purchase of the former Owens-Illinois, Inc., containerboard mill. at Jaite, Ohio, near Cleveland, by Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co. of Tecumseh, Mich., was announced today by Fred Attwood, Tecumseh president. The firm announced May 18 plans for the construction of a new plant in Van Wert. The company plans to manufacture corrugated boxes here to serve customers in the area. Tecumseh will assume operations of the Jaite plant immediately. It will operate it as a "merchant mill producing light-weight chip and a corrugated material used in the manufacture of shipping boxes, Attwood said.
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July 31, 1983: NATIONAL PARK TO REHABILITATE JAITE
The Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, Oh)

(Intro Missing) Jaite sold his interests in the paper business and the town in 1947. The paper mill still exists, now the Jaite Mill Division of Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co. In 1980 the town's buildings were made a part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area for a price of the buildings now serve as the headquarters for the 8 federal recreations area. "Our offices were spread all over" the place said Lew Albert, superintendent for the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. "We had operating conditions that were deplorable. It was a very ineffective way to manage the park when you had to get in a car and drive 6 miles to speak with someone you should really be able to walk down the hallway to see." The park service set forth the plan to rehabilitate the company town, retaining its character, while consolidating its offices inside the buildings. "My best guess is that by the time it's finished, we will have paid to per square foot of office space, which is pretty darned cheap, everything Albert said. "It has worked out pretty well for us. I'm tickled with it, and I think the employees like it. This building (the company store) is in better shape now than the day it was built, and it's a neat place to operate in."

Ed Adelman, historical architect for the park service at Cuyahoga Valley, said Jaite's town never was incorporated and never officially had a name. It generally was known as Jaite Company Town, or Jaite for short, he said. "In order for us to achieve a rehabilitation, there were extensive changes that had to be Adelman said. "Most were the type of changes you don't see." The buildings, painted yellow seven decades ago, were repainted the same shade to maintain the integrity of the project, he said. Inside, they lacked plumbing until the 1950s. Now, all plumbing and electrical wiring meet modern building codes, and each building restored thus far is air conditioned, Adelman said. About [missing] was budgeted for the restoration. "Mainly, we wanted to bring the buildings up to code in a manner that would respect the historical integrity of the original Adelman said. "Jaite Company Town preserves the corporate philosophy of the early 20th century. Such towns were located oftentimes in remote places. This certainly is on a small scale, but the idea is there. "We started in February 1982 with a site feasibility he said. "One of our mandates is to preserve nationally significant historic structures. Whether we used these buildings for headquarters, for visitoruse, any other use or no use at all, we would still be required to preserve these buildings." So two needs were satisfied the need for a recreation area headquarters and the need for restoration of the Jaite buildings. Adelman said construction of a new building for park offices might have cost considerably more than has the restoration.
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January 20, 1985: CUYAHOGA VALLEY RAILROAD LINE OFFICES MOVING INTO JAITE
The Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, Oh)

THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE set up a local office which is now located at the old company town of Jaite in seven buildings which were originally constructed for the employees of the paper mill then in operation nearby The office is located at Riverview and Vaughn Roads in the Brecksville portion of the valley. The nearby Jaite Mill Division of the Tecumseh Corrugated Box Company, operating in the valley since 1967, could become the headquarters of the Cuyahoga Valley Line Railroad. The railroad operates train service from June to October between Independence and the Hale Farm as well as Akron.
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September 10, 1985: PUTTING A LEASE ON HISTORY VALLEY PARK IS SAVING OLD HOMES
Akron Beacon Journal, Melissa Johnson, Beacon Journal staff writer

The buildings are old, mostly empty and in need of repair. One is described, lightly, as a "dumpy, boarded-up haunted house."
Sprinkled through the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area between Akron and Cleveland, they also are irreplaceable links with the region's past. National Park Service officials say the historic buildings -- a mill, a store, several houses -- should be saved.
The problem is money, or, more accurately, a lack of it in an era of government budget cuts. The apparent solution also is money -- the free- enterprise, private-sector type. Under a new program, the agency will lease certain buildings in the 32,000- acre park for homes or businesses to people willing to fix and maintain them. Work done by the tenant may count as part of the rent, and some tenants may be eligible for an investment tax credit.
Park service officials expect to sign the first lease within a few weeks, according to Edward Adelman, the park's historical architect who is overseeing the leasing program.
The Daniel Tilden house, a circa-1872 Victorian residence near the Coliseum in Richfield, will be rented to an architectural firm, probably for 25 years, Adelman said. During that time, the firm will rehabilitate and maintain the building. "The building will be preserved" at low cost to the federal government, he said. "It seems to make sense."
Adelman said the firm probably will make about $50,000 in improvements, which will be taken into account in determining the monthly rent. The other factor is the "fair market rental value" of the building, which has not yet been determined.
In all, Adelman expects about 10 park buildings, all on the National Register of Historic Places, to be offered for rent. In addition to the Tilden house, the deadline has passed for applications for two other buildings.
Until Oct. 11, proposals are being accepted for the Jaite Paper Mill in Sagamore Hills Township, a masonry mill complex that dates from 1905. Ideally, Adelman said, the structure will end up being used in some way by the public, perhaps housing a canoe livery or bicycle rental, restaurants or even a corporate conference center. "It's limited only by the imagination of the investors," he said. "If we had all these buildings in usable condition, we'd take all the fun out of it."
A public open house at the mill was held Saturday, and potential tenants also can view the property at similar events on Sept. 17 and Oct. 3.
Park service officials currently are reviewing proposals submitted for the James Wallace Farm, located next to Brandywine Falls in Sagamore Hills Township, and the Packard/Doubler House in Independence.
Adelman said most of the four applications for the farm, built in 1843, propose a bed-and-breakfast inn. Converting the historic structure to the park's first inn would add another attraction for visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley and, at the same time, preserve the building, Adelman said. "They can come, they can go to Blossom (Music Center), go bicycling for a half-day," he said. "I think people are going to begin to see what all this planning is about."
Both applications for the circa- 1864 Packard house propose residential use, which makes sense because of its location amid mostly private land, Adelman said.
The leasing program, created by Congress in 1980 and spelled out in regulations issued two years later, allows any federal agency to lease historic buildings. It is used primarily by the park service, which is in the business of preservation.
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July 15, 1986: LEGAL WORK HOLDS UP VALLEY TRAIN FOR YEAR
Akron Beacon Journal, Frances B. Murphey, Beacon Journal staff writer

Don't look for steam engine No. 4070 to huff and puff between Akron and Cleveland this year. A 1986 season will not materialize for the excursion train that has operated in the Cuyahoga River Valley for 11 years.
The Cuyahoga Valley Line was scheduled for a shortened season Aug. 2 through Oct. 19. Runs did not start June 14 as the Chessie System held up a lease renewal because of the pending sale of its Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks.
Negotiations are under way for the National Park Service to acquire the railroad right-of-way from the Chessie System. With the sale still involved in title searches, Cuyahoga Valley Line officials decided to cancel this year and begin planning for 1987. `We are looking toward a bigger and brighter season next year,' said Siegfried Buerling, Cuyahoga Valley Line's vice president of operations.
He said the cancellation was deemed necessary because of the continued uncertainty of when the sale would be completed and the property transferred. He noted that insurance for the train excursions would cost $24,000 a year no matter how long or short the season it is.
Letters will go out toDAY, to the 180 patrons who had made advance reservations for train rides.
`They may hold onto the reservations and get first choice next year or ask for a refund,' Buerling said. `Refunds will be made by mail to follow proper auditing procedures.'
Inquiries should go the Cuyahoga Valley Line, Box 502, Sagamore Hills, Ohio 44067.
The line had moved its office from Peninsula to the old Jaite Mill, but cut administrative services when the season was postponed. Director Babs Albert is on leave and the office is staffed on a limited basis.
The train first ran from Cleveland to Hale Farm and Village in 1975. The run was extended into Akron the next year.
Buerling supervises Hale Farm, a living history museum open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. TuesDAY, through SaturDAY, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The Western Reserve Historical Society installation has a new telephone system with a new Cleveland number, 575-9137. The Akron number remains 666-3711. slb
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December 18, 1987: PAPER MILL LEASE AVAILABLE
Akron Beacon Journal

Individuals or organizations interested in leasing the former Jaite paper mill in the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area have until toDAY, to submit written proposals. Cost of leasing the historic mill will depend on the cost of renovating the structure, according to park officials. Proposals, which must be postmarked today, should be sent to 15610 Vaughn Road, Brecksville, Ohio 44141. For information, call 650-4414 in the Akron area or 526-5256 in the Cleveland area.
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September 9, 1988: HORSESHOES WILL FLY IN OLD MILL, INDOOR FACILITY TO COST MILLIONS
Akron Beacon Journal, William Canterbury, Beacon Journal staff writer

You already can hike, jog, bike, fish, swim, slide, picnic, ski, sled, skate, chase butterflies and commune with nature in the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area -- and now an entrepreneur wants you to pitch horseshoes in carpeted, year-round comfort.
The National Park Service has leased the abandoned Jaite Paper Mill in Sagamore Hills Township to Sports Enterprises Inc. of Munroe Falls, to restore it as a horseshoe arena.
When completed, the cavernous facility on Highland Road, just east of Riverview Road in northern Summit County, will be the first large-scale indoor horseshoe-pitching facility in the country, park Superintendent John Debo Jr. said Thursday.
In its heyday, the Jaite mill, built in 1905 along the old Erie Canal, teemed with as many as 80 workers turning out eight tons of paper a day.
The building still has giant roller paper presses in place and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Debo said that when the National Park Service pitched around for ideas on how to use the 180,000-square-foot, fortresslike structure, the `most unique' proposal came from John Davis of Cuyahoga Falls, president of Sports Enterprises and a horseshoe enthusiast.
Davis said the company presented a well-organized plan to develop the facility in phases and to retain the original flavor of the mill by leaving intact the huge presses and pipe work -- much like Quaker Square, the former Quaker Oats complex in Akron. Davis estimated the cost at $11 million to $12 million.
Davis said that private financing for the project `is mostly set up in three different directions,' but he declined to be more specific.
The lease will be based on paying the park service a percentage of the horseshoe center's gross receipts at some future date, according to park officials.
Plans for the mill call for about 60 indoor courts, a large snack bar on the pitching floor, a large restaurant for fine dining, conference rooms, shops, a media section for news and sports reporting, first-aid facilities, a lounge and paper mill museum.
To spark public interest in the site, the company plans to convert an outdoor loading dock into an indoor court with about 20 pitching areas by later this fall. While the public uses that, work will begin inside, which Davis said could take 18 months to complete.
The company turned its attention northward to the park after failing to win zoning approval in 1987 to convert the empty R&J Jacobson furniture store building in Stark County's Plain Township.
Who would hie to the park to pitch?
Davis has estimated the sport is played regularly by upward of 30 million people, based on surveys and the number of horseshoe sets sold, and that Ohio has about 100,000 serious pitchers.
He also said that he is convinced that Northeast Ohio is ready for a high- tech boom in the sport that might put it on par someDAY, with the more popular sports of golf and bowling.
Bringing horseshoe courts indoors `took a lot of preparation,' said Donnie Roberts, a professional horseshoe pitcher and company operations director.
To keep noise down and the sport enjoyable, the company developed a synthetic clay that includes rubber compounds to be used in the `pits' on the carpeted courts. The material will not require watering and does not stick to clothing, Roberts said. `We couldn't bring all those muddy holes indoors,' he said. A noiseless peg was developed with a rubber lining so the sound is more like thuds than clashes of steel when the shoes strike.
Tournament pitcher Gordon Miller of Painesville, a retired government worker who toured the mill on ThursDAY, and travels extensively to participate in the sport, said he looks forward to the indoor courts. `All the courts I play on are outside -- subjected to rain delays, costing time and money, and here you have it made,' he said, gesturing to the mill's interior. Davis said he hopes the courts will be used by schools and retirees' groups and for tournament and league play. `There are so many people who pitch,' Davis said. `The network is there, the market has been there 90 years, but there has never been a facility that can handle it.'
The mill was built by Charles H. Jaite near the canal and railroad, and produced blue-line paper for multilayered cement and flour bags. The mill later made fertilizer bags and bread sacks. Jaite also erected a company town to house his workers.
In 1951 the National Container Corp. purchased the mill and company town from the Jaite Co. Since then it has been owned by Owens-Illinois Inc. and the Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co. In 1984, Tecumseh stopped production at the Sagamore Hills site in an agreement with the National Park Service, which bought the property. Tecumseh relocated its operations on Highland Road outside the park.
The park service restored the company town, which is now headquarters for the park.

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December 1989: : EXPLANATION OF TERMINATION OF HORSESHOE LEASE PROPOSAL

A terminated partner was the ill-fated Horseshoe Palladium, Inc., which in August 1988 leased the historic kite Mill complex for adaptive restoration into an indoor sports horseshoe pitching enterprise, meeting rooms, and a Horseshoe Hall of Fame. The proposal failed to materialize as it lacked financial backing. The Securities and Exchange Commission denied the lessee permission to launch a public stock offering. Some Jaite Mill machinery was illegally removed and sold. NPS terminated the lease agreement in December 1989.
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November 20, 1990: MISSOURI COMPANY STRIKES DEAL TO TAKE OVER JAITE PACKAGING
Akron Beacon Journal, Katie Byard, Beacon Journal business writer

A major maker of packaging for frozen dairy desserts has agreed to purchase Jaite Packaging Inc., the Cuyahoga Falls-based company that is an outgrowth of the former Jaite Paper Mill Co.
Sealright Co. Inc. of Kansas City, Mo., plans to expand its manufacturing locations and enter the soft-drink label market by acquiring privately held Jaite, officials of both companies said Monday.
`We're very happy,' said Ernest Preston, who has been president of Jaite since 1958. `We felt we needed to be part of a big, public company' in order to finance future growth. ``We've had spectacular growth -- we need to have financing to continue that spectacular growth,' Preston said.
Jaite Packaging, which employs 190 at 1972 Akron-Peninsula Road, started out in its present form with about 25 employees in 1954. In 1989, the company had $40 million in sales. Sealright recorded sales of $193 million and net income of $14.3 million.
Jaite employed a Chicago investment banker to find an acquirer. Meanwhile, an investment banker for Sealright, with about 1,550 employees, was on the prowl for purchases. The two bankers hooked up and the deal was set in motion. Jaite's stockholders met SunDAY, to approve the sale. Financial terms were not disclosed Monday. Sealright Chairman Marvin Ozley, 56, visiting Jaite on Monday, said no employment reductions are planned as a result of the sale and Jaite will be operated as a `free-standing organization.'
`We want a responsible member of (Sealright) management to be as close to the customer as possible,' he explained.
Jaite general manager Richard Anderson will continue to head the day-to-day operations of the plant, which will be Sealright's sixth manufacturing location, Ozley said.
Sealright, whose stock closed MonDAY, up 1 at 17 1/4, has plants in Fulton, N.Y; Kansas City, Kansas; and San Leandro, Calif.; and has two facilities in Los Angeles.
The purchase of Jaite also will allow Sealright to expand its operations eastward and to make further forays into non-dessert food packaging. Preston, a former naval officer who in 1953 graduated from Princeton University, will serve as a consultant under a five-year contract with Sealright. Even the Jaite name will stay, said Ozley, a chemist who was among a group of Sealright managers who participated in a leveraged buyout of the company in 1982. `Jaite has a very well-known name in the industry,' Ozley said.
Packaging companies nationwide are merging, Preston said, as customers -- food companies -- themselves consolidate. `We felt there would be nothing left but giants' in the packaging industry, Preston said.
Jaite is familiar with industry giants. The company grew out of the Jaite mill, which started out in 1906 making flour sacks and grain bags, and still stands in what is now the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.
The mill was bought by National Container Corp. in 1951 and later sold to Owens-Illinois Corp. A subsequent owner, Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co., closed the mill in the mid-' 80s.
Jaite Packaging, whose name has been changed from Jaite Display Bag to reflect its expansion into plastic packaging, was formed when local businessmen got together in 1954 to save operations that National Container had planned to move elsewhere.
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October 3, 1992: FLAMES CONSUME VACANT PAPER MILL
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Hollace Silbiger

Mark Lisowski watched with sadness and nostalgia as the 87-year-old abandoned Jaite Paper Mill burned yesterday.
"I'm upset because I liked working here," Lisowski said about the paper factory, which has been closed since December 1984. "I always hike along this trail and reminisce."
Crews from eight fire departments worked more than two hours to control the fire that started around 5 p.m. No one was injured. Officials suspect arson.
"A couple of kids were sighted in the area around the time the fire first started," said David T. Humphrey, chief of the technical assistance and professional service division of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.
The park put a barbed-wire fence around the mill, at the end of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail off Highland Rd., after vandals attacked it a few years ago, Humphrey said. But he said the fence was not a deterrent to trespassers.
Officials did not have damage estimates last night.
The fire started in offices and then spread south and east to the paper mill, Humphrey said.
Firefighters from Northfield Center Township had help, including departments from Northfield, Sagamore Hills, Boston Heights, Macedonia and Brecksville.
"We're just trying to put it out," Humphrey said. "It's not an attempt to save the structure."
He said the crews contained the fire to a quarter of the building's surface area. Tom Catalano, Northfield Center fire chief, said the crews had set up lines to pump water from Dover Lake.
The National Park Service took over the mill, also known as the Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co., after it was abandoned, Humphrey said.
The park dropped plans to restore the mill into a museum because of its poor structural condition, Humphrey said.
The park was making plans to demolish it by 1993 or 1994.
Lisowski, 36, said he lives about a mile from the mill. He was waxing his truck when ashes started to fall. He said he looked up and saw smoke coming from the mill.
"The flames were as high as the trees," Lisowski said.
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October 6, 1992: ABANDONED PAPER MILL TO BE RAZED AFTER FIRE
Akron Beacon Journal

A National Park Service crew is expected to raze the fire-ravaged Jaite Paper Co. mill just south of West Highland Road. About a quarter of the old building containing the offices, boilers and paper-making equipment was gutted FriDAY, evening in what officials believe was arson, said Einar Johnson, assistant superintendent of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.
He said the fire-damaged section would be leveled as soon as possible and the rest fenced off.
There was no damage estimate because the long-abandoned building was falling apart, he said.
The park service acquired the property in 1984 from the Tecumseh Corrugated Box Co. and was planning to raze the structure in coming years.
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October 29, 2000: SAD FATE OF ONCE-BUSTLING JAITE MILL
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jill Sell

There really is no roof. The rain has no trouble splashing down inside the old Jaite Paper Mill, a sprawling shell of a structure built in 1906 that once housed the largest industrial development in the Cuyahoga Valley.
In its heyday, the paper mill provided jobs for the local population and attracted Polish immigrant workers who helped form the company town of Jaite, which is now part of Brecksville.
The crumbling cinder block building, made from sand dredged from the nearby Cuyahoga River, is now covered with thick poison ivy vines which cling to exterior walls with determination.
"It's as if nature wants to reclaim the building and the land," said Sam Tamburro, historian for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where the mill, which closed in 1984, is located.
The remains of the mill are partly visible from the Red Lock Trailhead on the Towpath Trail near Brandywine Ski Resort in Sagamore Hills Township.
Inside, the few remaining pieces of equipment stand quiet, including a massive fourdrinier machine that allowed for the production of a continuous web of paper. At times the company could churn out 8 tons of paper a day.
"It's a piece of industrial art," said Tamburro, referring to the machine's design of intricate valves and twisted pipes. Broken glass and empty beer cans litter the floor of the mill. Spray-painted graffiti decorate the walls. A good wind could send beams and rafters crashing to the floor. An 8-foot chain link fence surrounds the property, and notices are posted with dire warnings to any trespasser.
"The building is very dangerous," said park superintendent John Debo. "We will press charges against anyone who trespasses. We cleaned up the part of the building that was burned by arsons (in 1992), but we also found hazardous waste and a significant amount of asbestos. We've taken care of all the factors that could cause harm to the environment over the past two years except for the asbestos. The last time (about six years ago) we had a formal estimate to remove the asbestos, it was about $7 million dollars. ... We decided to mothball the facility and take care of more pressing park decisions."
Tom Bradley, assistant park superintendent, said they hope to remove all remaining hazardous material, then tear down the mill and have the land revert to natural wetlands.
On Nov. 12, a national park program, "Jaite Paper Mill: Site, Situation and Significance," will include a 4-mile hike with park ranger Tom Nash. He will talk about the mill, which first made bags for cement and flour, then boxes, and later recycled paper.
The history of the mill began 95 years ago when Charles H. Jaite incorporated his paper-making business.
Tamburro said the site for the mill was chosen for several reasons, including the purity of artisan well water used to create strong paper. Also, the inexpensive land was located near the Ohio & Erie Canal, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Cuyahoga River and Brandywine Creek, which provided ample water for production and transportation needs.
Growth of company town
Within 19 years of its founding, nine company houses without indoor plumbing as well as a general store were built to form the town of Jaite. The community, formerly known as Vaughan Station, was never legally incorporated and is clustered around Riverview and Vaughn roads in Brecksville .
Today, the five existing buildings, painted a historically accurate yellow, house the park's headquarters. A large corner building was once the general store, a restaurant, a post office, gas station and the Temple of Faith Pentecostal Church. A shower house built for mill employees that connected the company store to a carriage house now serves as Debo's office.
Charles Jaite founded the company with his brothers and brother-in-law: Robert H. Jaite, Emil W. Jaite and Julius Kreckel. Clayton Stanford (who died six years ago) worked from 1926 to 1956 for Emil and Florence Jaite, who were in their 80s at the time and living on the family farm on Stanford Rd. Stanford's widow, Nina (Howe) Stanford, 91, has lived in her house, now owned by the National Park Service, in Peninsula for 71 years.
"When we got married in 1929, my husband had already been working for the Jaites on the farm and we moved into a tenant house owned by them," recalled Nina Stanford, whose grandfather, Edwin Howe, was one of the engineers for the Ohio & Erie Canal. "It was the big Depression, and we were glad to have a roof over our heads. But I was from Ira, and had never gone down to Peninsula before that. A lot of the mill workers and their families who lived in the area were Polish and spoke a foreign language we didn't understand."
Life in a company town was not especially luxurious for middle-management employees, who paid $7 or $8 a month to rent a company house in the early 1900s. Other workers lived in a dormitory and used a communal shower house.
During peak years, 250 workers - a third of them women - were employed at the mill, some sleeping in shifts in the dormitories while the mill ran around the clock. Others, who lived in Jaite, Boston Township or Peninsula, either walked to work, took a train, or were picked up by a company wagon or (later) a truck.
Competition and mergers of other paper companies killed the Jaite mill, said Tamburro. Mill owners also knew that being in the middle of a recreation area meant the company's "days were numbered."
Jerry Cervenski, 65, of Richfield, was the supervisor of the shipping and receiving department and a forklift driver at the mill when it closed.
"It was an enjoyable place to work," said Cervenski, who worked at the mill for about 20 years. "It was way back in the wilderness, away from the hustle and bustle of everything. But we did have some trouble with flooding by the Cuyahoga and Brandywine rivers. Sometimes we'd have to wade to work along the railroad spur or have the water come up almost into our cars when we went to work. We were dedicated employees."
Becoming a landmark
In 1979, the Jaite Mill Historic District (the mill, company houses, railroad structures and company store) was entered in the National Register of Historic Places. A year later, the National Park Service bought the company town and then the mill in 1984. Debo said the federal government paid $4.5 million for the 188,000-square-foot structure.
As for the mill itself, several ideas had been suggested for its use over the past two decades, including one investor's dream of making the property into a horseshoe emporium; other ideas include putting a restaurant at the site or using the mill and its machinery as a backdrop for stores or offices.
With the exception of the company town owned by the Austin Powder Mill Co. in Glenwillow, Jaite is the only remaining company town in Cuyahoga County, believes Randy Bergdorf, the historical collections curator for the Peninsula Library and Historical Society. (The mill itself is just over the border in Summit County.)
"Even today, many people living in Peninsula and Boston still have some connection to the Jaite Mill," Bergdorf said, whether that means a relative or friend worked there or that they are living in a house where a mill worker once lived.
Frank (Gene) Kaczmarski, 64, of Peninsula, remembers his parents, Josephine and Frank Kaczmarski, both worked at the mill in the 1930s. "Most of the women, including my mother, worked on sewing machines at Jaite and sewed bindings onto the ends of bag," said Kaczmarski. "The thread they used came on big bobbinlike cones. Shortly before the cone reached the end of its thread, the women would remove the cone. My mother took home the remnants and crocheted placements and dollies and other things with it.
"A few years ago my mother was very ill and we gave all her knitting and crochet work to family members. All the things she made are the same off-white color, and I could identify them anywhere. But people all over now have a part of Jaite."
Caption: BOX: A program titled "Jaite Paper Mill: Site, Situation and Significance" will be presented by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park from 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Boston Store, Boston Mills Rd. in Boston Township. The program is free. Call (330) 650-4636 or 1-800-257-9477. PHOTOS BY: PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHIL LONG FOR THE PLAIN DEALER PHOTO 1 Jerry Cervenski, in the remains of the machine room at the Jaite Paper Mill, was supervisor of shipping and receiving there. "Once, in the 1960s, four other guys and I stayed behind after the building was evacuated because of flooding. We wanted to sandbag the boiler room so no water would get in. ... But we stayed too long that day and the water got too high. We couldn't walk out. We were there until about 10 o'clock at night until Mr. (Ben) Lahoski (the mill's manager) came to get us in a life raft," he said. PHOTO 2 Former Jaite Paper Mill employee Bob Pollard looks over the area that was once the plant's machine shop. PHOTO 3 Cuyahoga Valley National Park historian Sam Tamburro, with remains of the Jaite Paper Mill in the background. Memo: Sell is a free-lance writer from Sagamore Hills.
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May, 2006: JAITE MILL DEMOLITION BEGINS
The Brecksville Magazine, Nancy Twigg

The Jaite Paper Mill, once a landmark of industry in the area, will soon be an area historical landmark. The removal of asbestos and structurally unsafe portions of the paper mill has begun.
Brecksville resident Bob Jaite is the great-grandson of the paper mill's founder. Bob was recently at the mill site helping the National Park Service, owners of the mill, locate the cornerstone of the mill office.
When Charles Jaite constructed the mill in 1905, Bob said, "He secured gold coins, a local 1905 newspaper, and other items in the cornerstone of the office."
Unfortunately, Bob was unable to recover the cornerstone.
The current demolition will remove all of the mill structure above the floor level. The one remaining fourdrinier paper machine and the concrete footprint of the mill will be left intact and fitted with a historical marker. The mill has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.
When Charles Jaite built the paper mill, he obtained drilling rights for the property from the state of Ohio. Of the four wells he drilled, three supplied natural gas, and the fourth supplied water. The wells were the only source of water and power to the mill until 1945.
Bob's favorite memory of the paper mill is going to mill on Saturday morning with his father. Bob would take target practice behind the mill, and in later years, hunt with his father. Bob was allowed to continue to hunt on the property after it was sold in 1950. Since he was allowed access to the property, he eventually took his sons there.
Bob speaks fondly of the Jaite employee clambakes his father, Robert, would host at their home every October. Most of the mill employees lived in Brecksville, Peninsula, and Jaite, a company town that arose to support the influx of mill workers.
At the height of mill production, the mill employed 280 people and operated 24 hours per day. The mill employees were like an extended family, and most of their children attended school together in the Brecksville schools. Bob's father was the plant manager and every year he organized tours of the paper mill for the Brecksvill school students.
The Jaite family sold the mill in 1950 to National Container Corporation. National Container operated the mill until it was purchased by the National Park Service in 1984.
The mill has experienced many changes since it was sold by the Jaite family. In 1969, the second story of the office building was destroyed by a tornado. In 1992 a fire damaged the structure and the office was demolished. Bob believes the cornerstone was lost in the 1992 demolition.
Recently the mill has become something of an urban legend: many believe the site is haunted. The mill's visibility from Dover Lake Water Park makes the mill an enticing location for trespassers and ghost hunters. Bob has no memories of the mill being haunted, but he does remember that "It was fun to go to the mill with my father on Saturday."
Today Bob is the executive vice president for Wolfenden Industries. He and his wife Nancy, their two sons, and three of their grandchildren live in Brecksville. While Bob's grandchildren will not be able to visit the operating mill on a Brecksville School field trip, they will be able to view what remains of the mill as part of a local history field trip.

Jaite Mill Demolition Begins

The first phase of the Jaite Mill demolition in Cuyahoga Valley National Park has begun. The demolition, which is expected to cost approximately $1.4 Million, is being done by sub-contractor McCabe Engineering of Richfield. The National Park Service and TetraTech, an environmental contractor based in Lakewood, Colorado, are managing the project.
According to CVNP Deputy Superintendent Bill Carroll, the demolition is the first step in a long-term project to restore the site to a river bottom forest and interpret the Jaite Mill history. All structural materials above the mill's floor level will be removed, but the concrete footprint of the plant will be retained. The railroad grading will also be retained and might be converted to a trail leading to the park service headquarters, located in the Jaite community at the intersection of Vaughn and Riverview Roads.
Select features of the site will be saved for future intepretive purposes, in particular the fourdrinier machine. This 200-foot-long machine was used in the paper-making process. The water tower will be examined for structural integrity and may or may not be preserved.
Carroll said site restoration will be the second phase of the project but now funding is in place only for the demolition. A cultural resource staff will study the plant's history and connection to the communities and determine how that history will be preserved.
Jaite Mill is located along the east bank of the Cuyahoga River along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail just south of Red Lock Trailhead in Sagamore Hills.
The demolition work will be done Mondays through Thursdays and take about three months to complete. Most of the funding for the project is coming from the settlement of a hazardous waste lawsuit against the former Krejci dump, located on Hines Hill Road in Boston Heights. The settlement was for $3.6 million and the National Park Service received $1.4 million.
The dump contains hazardous materials trucked there over many years by major manufacturing firms. The Ford Motor Company agreed to manage the removal of the contaminated soil from the property.
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OBITUARIES:

December 02, 1932: Emil W. Jaite
The Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, Oh)

PAPER CO. OFFICIAL DIES CLEVELAND, Dec. All services for Emil W. Jaite, secretary of the Jaite Paper Company, at Jaite, 0., who died Wednesday at his home in Boston, O., after a lingering illness, will be held Saturday. In 1878 Jaite married Florence Parkman, granddaughter of the founder of Parkman, O. Four years ago they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.
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March 14, 193?: Charles H. Jaite
Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #041.

Jaite: Charles H., beloved husband of Edith (nee Peebles), and father of Roy W., Edna J. Carmichael and Fern J. Brady, brother of Emil W. and Robert J. Jaite, Mrs. Julius Kreckel, Mrs. George Bruchler and Mrs. George Fisher, grandfather of Charles W. and Robert G. Jaite, Donald S. Carmichael and Edith E. Betts, passed away on Wednesday morning at his residence, 1085 Forest Cliff Dr., Lakewood. Funeral Saturday, Mareh 14, at 2:30 p. m. from the Koebler Funeral Home, 1966 E. 82d St. at Euclid Ave.
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September 11, 1965: Charles Jones

Jones, Charles, 22 years, of 4642 Riverview Rd., Peninsula, Ohio, passed away suddenly September 10th. Survived by wife Mary (Greathouse) Jones; two sons, Jeffrey and Carl, all of the residence; parents Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Jones of Peninsula; Two sisters, Miss Lucille Jones and Miss Rebecca Jones both of Peninsula; Two brothers Delbert of Delaware, N.J., and Curtiss of Peninsula; Two half-sisters, Mrs. Josephine Brown of Akron and Mrs. Pauline Smith of California. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. this evening and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the McGowan-Reid Funeral Home, corner of Stow and Third St., Cuyahoga Falls. Services announced later.
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Date unknown: Edward J. Wierzbicki, died Feb. 5.

Mr. Wierzbicki was born in Boston Township, and resided in Northampton all his life. He had worked as a maintenance mechanic for Jaite Mill, was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary, was a veteran of the Korean War serving with the U.S. Army and a member of the V.F.W. Northfield Post.
He is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, David and Judy of Chicago, Ill., Dale and Barb of Springfield Township; daughters, Tracy Lightner, Terri Hardy and Tina Meyers, all of Cuyahoga Falls; nine grandchildren; brother, Phil of Brecksville; sisters, Kate Cummings of Stow, and Agnes Campbell of Wisconsin; and the beloved mother of his children, Barbara Kahoun of Cuyahoga Falls.
There will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be conducted at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13 at the Clifford-Shoemaker Funeral Home, 1930 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls.
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Robert G. Jaite, Sr.

Robert G. Jaite, Sr., 69, of Elyria, died Monday at Myrtle Beach, S.C. following a two-day illness. Mr. Jaite was born in Cleveland. He was associated with the Jaite Paper Mill in Jaite, Ohio from 1930-1952. From 1954-1962 he was associated with the Beechnut Lifesaver Corp. He was a member of the Elyria Senior Fellowship Club and the Black River Chapter of the National Audubon Society. He is survived by his wife, Constance M.; sons, Robert G., Jr. of Brecksville, Richard VV. of Pinehurst, N.C.; daughter, Miss Sarah E. Jaite of Richmond, Va.; four grandchildren. There will be no visitation. Memorial services will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Dicken Funeral Home, Elyria. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
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August 16, 1987: Elmer F. Koudela

Elmer F. Koudela, 74, of Stow, formerly of Brecksville, died ThursDAY, at St. Thomas Hospital.
Mr. Koudela was born in Cleveland, and lived in Jaite for many years where he was supervisor and plant manager for the Jaite Paper Mill for 50 years.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lillian (nee Karasek) and is survived by his daughter, Nancy Sneider of Peninsula; sisters, Ruth Contessa of Munroe Falls, Dorothy Skrzynski of Bedford Hts., Mildred Schneider of Boston, Mass.; brother, William Koudela of Hudson, and two grandchildren.
Services Monday, Aug. 17, 1987 at 1 p.m. at the Johnson-Romito Golden Rule Funeral Home, Rt. 82, west of Old Eight Rd., Northfield Center where friends will be received 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
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