The Legacy of George Whiting

Between 1890 and 1925, industry was booming in Stevens Point. Businessmen flocked to Portage County for the clean water, fresh air, and large tracts of undeveloped land. One man who was drawn to our area was George Whiting; he loved Stevens Point but never officially settled. George lived in nearby Neenah for his adult life and worked closely with his brother, William Whiting, to make his papermill dreams come true.

Papermill development takes dedication and teamwork. Just as George could not man all the stations on his own so too could his employees not thrive without regular reinvestment in their wellbeing. The early days of Stevens Point were rough; rentable housing was taken as soon as it was constructed and fires regularly razed the businesses that were only just beginning to bloom. George Whiting excelled at long-term planning and worked first across the state and then across the country to ensure success. In the 1890s George was a director for the Citizens National Bank in Stevens Point, was the president of the Plover Paper Company (later renamed as the Whiting-Plover Paper Company), and was working on consolidating mills in Menasha into the George A. Whiting Paper Company. His brother, William, lived in Stevens Point and was able to be George’s eyes and ears in Plover. George and William were there when the mill burned in 1895 and when the papermill dam burst that same year. In 1898 when the mill burned for a second time, George and William had to work hard to make sure the mills survived. George gave money to the fire department to thank them for saving what they could and rebuilt both the mill and dam with his own money.

1918 advertisement from the Stevens Point Journal

The dam and the papermills were both George’s pride. He designed and led the construction process and was able to broker a deal with the Stevens Point power company. With so much urban expansion the power grid was regularly being drawn down. George Whiting offered a delightful solution; why not connect the power supply to the dam and the papermills? When the power grid was low the city could draw extra energy from the dam. When the water levels were low and the papermills were in need, they could directly draw from the city supply. This deal allowed George’s mills to continue working when other logging and paper processing plants had to pause. He had the competitive advantage on energy and water sources. Water is a major component of the paper process and dirty water means dirty paper. George Whiting was working on national contracts for photo paper, bleached white paper, newspaper, and colored paper products. Instead of drawing water directly from the Wisconsin River, which was also used as a dumping ground for other factory and city wastes, he designed his own water wells and pump system. He chose the locations for two water wells and confused many when he insisted on digging in a swampy, silty area along the river. His workers were certain that all his pumps would clog with mud, but were astonished at the crystal clear water that George got instead. The swamp locations had layers of vegetation and sand that acted as a water filter and his water was so free of mineral impurities that he was able to seal contracts as far away as Washington D.C for the fine paper it produced. It was an easy decision for George and William to rebuild and repair the dam and mill when they took damage or caught on fire; even with construction delays, they were the best around.

1920 advertisement from the Stevens Point Journal

With George and William in close communication and the infrastructure supporting the continued papermill work, the missing step for their success was the workers. Workers had many new businesses to choose from and competition for their labor was high. George Whiting ran a tight ship and it was well-advertised that his papermill was the cleanest in the industry and had constant contracts. The railroad has always dominated Stevens Point and was regularly the number one employer for city residents. But if you check the rest of the list, the Whiting-Plover Paper Company is always there in second place. George focused on employee opportunities and found that they were more likely to stay because of his investment. In 1915 his papermills changed work schedules, moving from the classic 2 12-hour shift to the new 3 8-hour work shifts. Employees suddenly had more time for families. The mills employed over 300 workers and over 90% of those employees were local to Stevens Point, which was a great economic investment. In an interview from 1909, George stated that the paper mills paid between 50 and 55% of the city’s taxes for Plover and wondered if the town would survive without such large industry. He had a point, and city officials certainly understood what power and community support he held. The Whiting-Plover Paper Company rarely had to post job openings in the local paper because there were always new applicants waiting in the wings. George Whiting built apartments near his Whiting-Plover papermill and reserved applications for families that worked at his facilities. He “beautified” the mill grounds by adding walking paths, landscaping, and an open park between the apartments and the mill. He even closed his Whiting-Plover mill in 1920 and hosted an employee appreciation picnic at the new park area, inviting all his employees and their families to attend. Workers who attended were paid their normal daily salary and it was estimated that over 1000 people attended the festivities. It was at this time that George Whiting began to consider larger campaigns to give back to the communities he so loved.

When Hotel Whiting was being constructed in Stevens Point it did not have a clear name or honored donor. Throughout 1921 and 1922, as construction continued, donors were still being solicited. When William Whiting was asked who may be interested, he knew to call George. In 1922 George bought $25,000 of hotel stock. Adjusting for inflation, George’s donation of $25,000 in 1922 would have been $467,500 in 2024. Immediately the board of hotel directors voted to name the hotel in George’s honor. He was touted as not only a lavish donor and lover of industry, but also a philanthropic employer who had raised the standard of living for so many local families.

1923 advertisement from the Stevens Point Journal

Hotel Whiting took 14 months to build. In October of 1921 the crew broke ground, and on January 15 1923 the hotel was open to the public. The finished hotel was luxurious. Newspapers raved about the clean water that was available for baths; it didn’t need any treatment for minerals or vegetable matter! The furnishings were not cheap, the public areas had not been skimped on for decoration or small details, and the dining facilities boasted the newest technology. In fact, a trained chef from Chicago was hired to run the kitchen. Large windows afforded a view of the downtown strip to the north, a hint of the river in the west, and a view of the new Hardware Mutual building to the east. It hosted 6 separate stores on the first floor of the building and was already out of debt mere months after opening to the public. The hotel had 40 employees at opening and expanded the workforce as demand grew. Critics deemed this hotel a “credit to the city” and exclaimed that the whole area was better off now that a proper hotel had been built.

George Whiting also loved the hotel. When it debuted in 1923 he was 74 years old and he visited for the opening events. In a newspaper interview, he said “Today Stevens Point has come forward and shown splendid progress by building splendid schools and churches. And all of this has been possible because the good citizens here are putting their shoulder to the wheel. I expect to live to see Stevens Point become even a greater city, a city of between 40,000 and 50,000 in population. Not until then will I be content to pass on.” George never stepped down from his work at the Whiting-Plover Paper Company. He donated money to colleges across the state, donated land for an athletic field at Lawrence College in Appleton, donated land for an airport between Menasha and Appleton, and continued to donate to local charities until he passed on July 17, 1930. Today the hotel has been renovated into apartments, with the first floor still hosting businesses. Currently the main business located there is a cat cafe. The original luxury of the building hasn’t changed and local residents cherish the building’s history and the memory of the man who gave so much to the community. George Whiting’s name lives on through the hotel, dam, papermill, park, and village that can all be found in Portage County. The next time you drive downtown, take a look at the hotel that has been standing for over 100 years in our community. It is a testament to our local industries and the employees who made it all possible.