HISTORIC PAPERMAKING
There were several paper mills in the early Bluegrass, and one was located in Franklin County, on the Kentucky River at Stedmantown, not far from Frankfort. The mill was operated by the papermaker Ebenezer Stedman. Stedman is remembered today as the keeper of an important early diary now in the University of Kentucky's Special Collections Research Center.
Stedman's diary was published in 1959 as Bluegrass Craftsman: The Reminiscences of Ebenezer Hiram Stedman, Papermaker, 1808-1885. (Stedman’s mill was based in a powder mill formerly owned by Col. James Johnson.)
According to Stedman's account, in the year 1811 there were six papermills in Kentucky, with only one in Fayette County.
MODERN PAPERMAKING
In the 20th and 21st centuries, papermaking is done either a large-scale industrial process, or an artistic/artisanal one practiced by individuals.
Industrial papermaking: Phoenix Paper (Ballard Co.: Wickliffe)
Artisanal papermaking: Wildflowers by Luann (Luann Vermillion - Letcher Co.: Whitesburg)
RELATED PAPER CRAFTS
BOOK MAKING/BOOK BINDING
SCHERENSCHNITTE ("Scissor Cuttings" / Cut Paper)
Creative Kentucky crafters and artisans can use paper in a variety of beautiful and functional ways.
Wildflowers by Luann (Luann Vermillion - Letcher Co.: Whitesburg)