Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking

The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking melds art, history, technology and industry from historical and global perspectives. Museum visitors follow the path of paper from the earliest examples of writing materials, to the Chinese discovery of how to make paper, to the paper mills of Europe, and the high-tech machinery of today’s modern paper industry.

The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking’s mission is to collect, preserve, increase, and disseminate knowledge about papermaking – past, present and future.

The museum cares for the most comprehensive collection of paper and paper-related artifacts in the world, comprised of over 100,000 artifacts including manuscripts, rare books, prints, hand and industrial papermaking tools and equipment, and crafted and manufactured objects, as well as paper samples.

First established in 1939 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by renowned paper historian Dard Hunter, it relocated in 1954 to the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin, where it remained until 1989. At which time, the Institute of Paper Chemistry moved to Atlanta, becoming the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST). In 2003, IPST merged with the Georgia Institute of Technology. Today, the museum is part of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute, an Interdisciplinary Research Institute at Georgia Tech.

Permanent and temporary exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, and virtual programming are available for audiences of all ages.