First flour mill 1809 (≈ 1809)
Certified production of 7.5 quintals daily.
1858
Prefectural regulation
Prefectural regulation 1858 (≈ 1858)
Prefectural decree of 22 July.
1863
Reconstruction by Lereau
Reconstruction by Lereau 1863 (≈ 1863)
Replacement of the mill destroyed in 1859.
1881
Processing into pulp mill
Processing into pulp mill 1881 (≈ 1881)
Project by Joseph Abadie and Henri Bourgeois.
1919
Activity peak
Activity peak 1919 (≈ 1919)
16 workers and 70 HP turbine.
1970
Final closure
Final closure 1970 (≈ 1970)
End of pulp production.
1995
Partial protection
Partial protection 1995 (≈ 1995)
Registration of facades and turbines.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Facades and roofs; turbines and their mechanism (Box F 6): inscription by order of 9 June 1995
Key figures
Joseph Abadie - Industrial and sponsor
Fonda the cigarette paper factory of Theil.
Henri Bourgeois - Architect
Designed the plans of 1881.
Lereau - Reconstructor (1863)
Rebuilt the mill after 1859.
Origin and history
The Male paper mill, located in Val-au-Perche, originated in an old flour mill certified in 1809, producing 7.5 quintals of flour daily. Regulated by a prefectural decree in 1858, it was destroyed around 1859 and rebuilt in 1863 by a certain "Lereau". This site, originally dedicated to milling, marked a turning point in 1881 when it was transformed into a pulp mill by industrialist Joseph Abadie, founder of a cigarette paper factory in Theil.
The plans for this reconstruction were designed by architect Henri Bourgeois, commissioned by Joseph Abadie. The factory, powered by a 70 HP hydraulic turbine certified in 1919, used hemp as its raw material. It employed 16 workers in 1919, but its activity declined until its closure around 1970. Only the Brault, Rose and Teissier turbines, manufactured at Chartres, remain today as remains of its industrial past.
After its closure, the building was reused in 1973 by a company specializing in electromechanical appliances. The mill, which has been partially protected since 1995 (facades, roofs and turbines), illustrates the evolution of local economic activities, from milling to paper production and then modern industrial uses. Its history also reflects the technological and social changes of rural Normandy between the 19th and 20th centuries.
