A SHORT ACCOUNT OF CELANESE CORPORATION OF AMERICA
According to an article in the Cumberland, Maryland newspaper of the time, the first cellulose acetate yarn was produced at the Amcelle plant on December 24, 1924. The factory had built in part during 1918 to manufacture cellulose nitrate "dope" for the coating of airplane surfaces. At the beginning the company's name was American Cellulose and Chemical Co., thus the geographical location was called Amcelle. In 1924, the number of employees was 220 but by its twentieth year, this number had risen to 10,700 and production level of acetate yarn was over 1,000,000 pounds per week. Development of the "dry" spinning process was accomplished by the British counterpart called British Celanese, and in 1940, the Amcelle plant manager was F.T. Small, who had been instrumental in that development at the Spondon plant near Derby, England. About 1927, Celanese acquired the Celluloid Corporation located in Newark, N.J. which manufactured cellulose nitrate as well as cellulose acetate plastics. In the 1940s, Celanese did market other cellulose esters such as cellulose propionate. However, Tennessee Eastman's firm hold on the market for cellulose acetate-butyrate as well as cellulose acetate as Tenite I and Tenite II, precluded the Celanese penetration of that segment of the plastics market. Celanese later produced acetal resins and other plastics different from the simpler cellulose derivatives. The factory buildings at Amcelle were built by the Austin Co. The plant was abandoned about ten years ago and sold for a small fee to Allegheny County. Most of the factory buildings were demolished in the early 1990s, and a Maryland State prison built on the grounds.

For more information, contact G. Marshall Naul, 209 Glen St., Chestertown, MD 21620-1417, 410-810-1758.