Ritchie and Ramsey Paper Mills
The Ritchie and Ramsey Company was
located at
The commercial advantages of
New Toronto are wonderful. Already there
are ten factories established, including that of the Interior Decorating
Company, with a capital stock of $25,000, almost all subscribed. Business will be commenced in a few days, and
from one to two hundred men will be employed.
Thos. Bryce of Bryce Bros., W.H. Essery, Mr.
Parsons and Joseph Barrett are the principal members of this firm. The structure alone cost $10,500. The dimensions are 100 by 41 feet, with a
wing 60 by 41 feet. It is a two-storey,
solid brick building, and has an engine and boiler house in connection. Mr. Hugh Silver of Lindsay, Ont., is the
inventor and patentee of the design for manufacturing interior decorations of
wood in elaborate styles for residences.
Numerous other lines of manufacture in the same article can be
produced. The main secret is in the
proper method of staining, pressing and preparing otherwise thin sheets of wood
of the ordinary grade y which artistic patterns are formed in imitation of any
expensive wood. They can be thus manufactured so as to appear like the real
article. Further details are
unnecessary. Mr. Thomas Bryce is one of
the most active in pushing this enterprise.
All further particulars can be obtained from Jr. Joseph Barrett,
Robert A. Given tells us that “in 1894 this facility
[Interior Wood Decorating] was taken over by Ritchie and Ramsay who began
producing coated papers for printers, coated boxboard for carton purposes,
coated bristols and photo mount board mostly for
printers, carton manufacturers and photographic stores. Ritchie & Ramsay
required much water so a pump house was built by the lake. Smelly
water was returned to the lake in a small stream. The plant moved to
(http://www.etobicokehistorical.com/Stories/New_Toronto/new_toronto.html)
Below
are two advertisements I was able to find for the company. The one on the left can be viewed at
