Chillicothe — A photo of a paper mill worker – printed on the last paper produced by the mill – marked the stressful transition this year, in an annual economic development event on Wednesday.
Anxiety and then relief over the closure of Pixelle was a backdrop for the “Celebration Breakfast” by Greater Chillicothe & Ross County, Ohio Development (GCRCD) on December 3rd, 2025.
Local photographer Matt Day said he was able to spend about five days in the Pixelle plant before it was shut down, “photographing everything.” One subject was an unidentified mill worker.
Day said he also got some of the last roll of paper produced there, in Paper Machine No. 10. So he printed the photo “The Last Roll” on the paper – even though it was not the best medium. With a frame by local Dard Hunter Studios, the print was a gift to Susan Gearhart for her leadership in GCRCD.
Day says he plans to publish his photos in a book in the spring, in conjunction with a show in the gallery of “The History Store” downtown. (This is in contrast to local photographer Gunner Barnes’ upcoming book “Growing Up in the Shadow of the Stack,” a separate project.)
Watch for another story on the economic event.
