Oral histories - LISTEN to Parchment residents and KVP employees interviewed in 1974-1976, and in 2009 to date

 
 
 
 
 
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH OF THE MILL DONATED TO THE LIBRARY

Brant Pineau and his son Gar stand next to the 8' x 6' aerial photograph of the Parchment Mill (then Brown Company) taken in 1975. Mr. Pineau found the photo on a wall in one of the mill offices about ten years ago as it was being emptied by a demolition crew. After learning that it was going to be destroyed, he took the photo to his home. He donated it to the library on September 15, 2011. Director Stannard says she is delighted to receive the photo for the library's collection, and grateful to Mr. Pineau for preserving this important piece of Parchment's history. (She is also grateful to Brant and Gar for carrying the very heavy frame down to the lower level of the library!)
THE REMEMBERING PARCHMENT PROJECT CONTINUES!
 
We had a great response to our call for Oral Histories!  Thanks to a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council and our tireless interviewer Wendy, these windows into Parchment's history have been preserved for us to enjoy, and for those who follow.  You can hear these conversations on our website or check them out on CD at the library.   If you would like to be interviewed, or suggest someone for us to interview, call 343-7747 and ask for Teresa (teresa@parchmentlibrary.org) or Wendy (wendy@parchmentlibrary.org).
 
We're also thrilled with the many items of KVP memorabilia that we've received for our collection which help tell the story of the paper mill - but the Remembering Project isn't done!
 
Now we're looking for photos, videos, letters, postcards, and other items that document life in the City of Parchment.   Anything about the schools, churches and businesses is especially welcome.   Please bring your items to the library, attention Teresa Stannard.   You can reach her by phone at 343-7747 x203, or by e-mail at teresa@parchmentlibrary.org.  
 
All donations will be placed into our Local History Collection.  If you don't wish to leave the originals, we will make copies of selected items.   We look forward to hearing from you soon!
ABOUT THE REMEMBERING PARCHMENT PROJECT
 
Overhead view of paper millThe KVP paper mill, which was the center of Parchment life from 1909-2000, will be coming down soon and a new era in our community will begin. The library wants to collect and archive as much Parchment history as possible this year, and we need your help!
 
If you have any Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment paper company (or its successors) materials -- whether letters, photos, postcards, calendars, samples of products the company made, newsletters, film, video, etc., and would like to donate them to the library, we'd be delighted to have them!
 
We are also interested in obtaining materials which capture the essence of life in Parchment -- the schools, churches, businesses, clubs and people who helped make this such a very special city. If you have something that sheds light on Parchment history, bring it in!
 
You can't catch time in a bottle -- but you can preserve it in a library! Help make history -- share your Parchment memories with the library, and pass the word to all your friends. For more information, call Teresa at 269 343-7747 or e-mail teresa@parchmentlibrary.org.
We wish to thank the staff of the Western Michigan University Archives for helping us rescue, store, organize and scan documents and photos from the paper mill before they were lost to the elements.  
 
We also wish to thank the staff of the W. E. Upjohn Center for Geographical Change at Western Michigan University, for lending their time, expertise and large-format scanners to create finely-detailed digital images of unique paper mill blueprints, maps, and drawings.
 
The generous assistance provided by these WMU archvists, historians and technicians have preserved irreplaceable pieces of Parchment's history. 
 
ORAL HISTORIES: LISTEN!
Learn about Parchment's history from the people who made it and lived it!

Click HERE to go to our Oral Histories page.

If you want to provide your own oral history to the library, see "Oral Histories: Spoken Memories" below.
 
 
ORAL HISTORIES: SPOKEN MEMORIES
 
The library has two digital recorders to lend to anyone who wishes to record an oral history interview. We'll include instructions (these recorders are very easy to use) and a script of sample questions to get you started.

You don't need to be a professional interviewer to capture a great oral history! Just chat with family, friends and neighbors who remember what Parchment was like in days gone by, and keep the reocrder on. We'll archive your oral history both digitally and on CD, and can make a copy on CD for you, if you would like one. Imagine how wonderful it would be to listen to a recording of your great great grandmother or grandfather talking about her daily life - you can give this gift to future generations!

Each digital recorder is loaned for two weeks. You'll need to have a Parchment library card in order to borrow the recorder. Questions? Contact Teresa at (269) 343-7747 or teresa@parchmentlibrary.org.
 
HISTORIC PHOTOS OF KVP AND PARCHMENT

KVP Slide Show from Teresa Stannard on Vimeo.

This slide show of historic Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company photos was produced by Tom Maas for the KVP Reunion at the library on July 11, 2010.
 
PARCHMENT HISTORY DOCUMENTS
Click on the following links to read full-text documents outlining Parchment history. You'll need a PDF reader (like Adobe Acrobat, which is a free download) installed on your computer to read them.
 
Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company (1909-1959)
The library owns the following issues of these KVP Publications:
  • KVP Annual Reports: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1959
  • KVP Christmas Programs: 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952
  • KVP Philosopher Christmas Issues: 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1968, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966
  • KVP Supervisor Newsletter: January - December 1951
 
KVP-Sutherland (1960-1966)
The library owns the following issues of these KVP-Sutherland Company Publications:
 
  •  KVP Sutherland Annual Reports:  1962, 1964, 1965
  •  KVP Sutherland Newsletters: 1960 (Jun); 1965 (Mar, Apr, May, no-date)
Brown Company (1966-1980)

 The library owns the following issues of these Brown Company Publications:
 
James River Corp. (1980-1995)
 
The library owns the following issues of these James River Publications: 
  • James River Newsletters  Including: James River KVP Newsletter (1981), James River KVP Log (1981-1992), James River Paper Trails (1992-1994), and James River On Stream (1982-1989)
Crown Vantage Corp. (1995-2000)
 
 
The library owns the following issues of these James River Publications:
  • Crown Vantage VANTAGE POINT Newsletter:  1995 (Fall); 1996 (Winter)  

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KVP REUNION
Sunday, July 11, 2010
 
 
We had at least 350 people attend this joyous event!
 
PHOTOS OF PARCHMENT HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS
 
Click HERE to go to a photo album of Parchment historical artifacts, including KVP products. Click on any thumbnail photo to see a full-size image, and use the "zoom" tool (looks like a magnifying glass) to enlarge the image.
 
Click HERE to see an index of the paper products in our collection which were produced by the Parchment, Michigan, paper mill from 1909-2000.
 
DONATIONS NEEDED

Community HouseWhile the library has collected quite a bit of material about the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company (KVP) and Parchment City history, we'd like more!
 
If you decide to donate your materials to the library, we will have you fill out a donation form. If we cannot accept your donation (because of duplication, lack of space or proper storage, etc.), we can suggest other archives in the area who might be able to take your materials.

If you are unwilling to part with your treasures, please see Teresa Stannard, the library director, who will work with you to copy the materials (whether paper, film, video, or audio) or photograph them for our collection. (Many thanks to Steve and Julie Gibson of People Power Productions here in town for assisting with this project!)

High School Yearbooks: We still need: 1959, 1961, 1962, 1998, 2003, 2006 and 2008.

Middle School Yearbooks: We need 1976, and 1992-2005.

KVP Philosopher, Christmas 1950Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company products, samples, and advertisements

Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company newsletters, calendars, stock certificates, office memos, blueprints, lab equipment, etc. Anything from KVP!

Postcards of Parchment and/or KVP

Letters, family histories (print or oral), photographs, slides, films (any format) that concern life in Parchment.

Monetary donations are always welcome, to help defray the expense of copying items, and purchasing special archival storage supplies. Please make your check out to: Parchment Community Library.