Zaandam, Netherlands – July 2017 – The Declaration of Independence was written on paper from a paper mill in De Zaan, Netherlands.Â
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The mill De Schoolmeester (the Schoolmaster) was built in 1692 and is the oldest working paper mill in the world.Â
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Arie Butterman, 62, is the keeper of the mill. He started when he was 18 years old. “I must like what I do,” he said.Â
Dressed in one-piece blue overalls, Arie is the lone caretaker of the paper process and the mill.Â
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There used to be 13 full-time employees and 5 to 10 rag tearers.Â
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While paper is usually made from wood products, the product at De Schoolmeester is made using rags, textile industry waste, flax and hemp.Â
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“The windmill is just the engine to keep the factory going,” said Arie. Â
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Today the wind is strong and the mill is pounding out a deafening rhythm as it pummels the rags into a green stock of mush.Â
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The white squares of flax are stored in a northern section of the mill next to stables of rags piled high in a mound. A box of random buttons and clasps sits on a shelf near a window.Â
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The dark mill has the feel of a Jewish concentration camp.Â
Torn pieces of rag are placed in the tamper barrel where they are chopped into smaller pieces.Â
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In the beater tubs the material is mixed with water and pounded until the fibers separate.Â
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