East Millinocket Paper Mill is rehabilitating structures and adding infrastructure. Maine MILL wants to redevelop the Camden Yarns Mill as the museum’s home. Lincoln Technology Park is making infrastructure upgrades for future development.
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Former paper and textile mill sites in East Millinocket, Lewiston and Lincoln were awarded $12 million in congressionally directed spending for redevelopment.
The money was included in the fiscal year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, which has been signed into law.
“Many communities throughout Maine are still working to create job opportunities and spur economic activity following paper mill closures,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This funding will support the continued efforts to redevelop the former Great Northern Paper Mill in East Millinocket, Camden Yarns Mill in Lewiston and Lincoln Pulp and Tissue Mill.”
East Millinocket
At the East Millinocket Paper Mill, $5 million will go toward ongoing redevelopment of the former Great Northern mill site by stabilizing and rehabilitating existing structures, adding infrastructure for priority projects and continuing site clean-up for redevelopment and construction of new facilities.
The Penobscot County town of East Millinocket owns the long-defunct Great Northern Paper Co. mill site and its redevelopment is being managed by a volunteer organization called the East Millinocket Industrial Board.
The town acquired the 215-acre property in 2020 and began plans for redeveloping and marketing the site, at 50 Main St., along the West Branch of the Penobscot River. In 2025, the town partnered with the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority to accelerate the site’s revitalization.
The federal investment “marks a pivotal moment in our work to transform the former Great Northern Paper mill site into a vibrant hub of economic opportunity,” said Michael Michaud, chair of the East Millinocket Board of Selectmen. “With this support, we are one step closer to creating sustainable jobs, attracting private investment and restoring long-term economic vitality to our region.”
Lewiston
The Maine MILL was awarded $3 million to support the redevelopment of the Camden Yarns Mill building, at 1 Beech St. on the Lewiston riverfront, to serve as Maine MILL’s permanent home. Currently located at 35 Canal St. in Lewiston, the Maine MILL (Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor) showcases the history of Lewiston-Auburn's manufacturing mills and related trades.
The money goes toward the organization’s $17 million capital campaign to allow Maine MILL to complete construction of its new facility in Lewiston, “and would firmly establish an important expansion of a major civic institution for our entire community,” said Rachel Ferrante, the facility’s executive director.
The former Camden Yarns mill dates back to 1864. Textile manufacturing there ceased in 1992. The building had been vacant for decades, much of it in disrepair. The museum bought it in 2009. The site consists of a 2.5-acre lot and the shell of a two-story brick building totaling 14,000 square feet. The project includes an 11,000-square-foot addition, so the museum will total about 25,000 square feet, with space for a permanent collection, galleries, classrooms, design lab and more.
“This investment will also significantly contribute to the economic development of the Lewiston-Auburn area,” said Ferrante.
Lincoln
Lincoln Technology Park will receive $4 million to support the redevelopment of the former Lincoln Pulp and Tissue Mill, a 387-acre site, by making infrastructure upgrades for future development.
“This effort will help spark new private sector investments and vital job creation at the former mill site,” said Richard Bronson, Lincoln’s town manager.