Born in Germany but trained in papermaking largely in Holland, Rittenhouse and his son, Nicholas, established not only the first but one of the most prominent hand paper mills in North America. The mill operated under the direct control of the Rittenhouse family until the 1820's, by which time mechanized papermaking was widespread and concentrated largely in New England. Although the original mill lasted only ten years before it was washed out in a spring flood, the mill built to replace it was quickly erected and remained standing until the early 1890's. Today, several houses in which the Rittenhouse families lived remain, as do houses of others in the community called RittenhouseTown, which grew up around the mill. Some of these houses are open for tours. As 1990 marks the 300th anniversary of the Rittenhouse mill, a number of events have been scheduled in commemoration. Many of these events are being done in coordination with the Friends of RittenhouseTown, a group formed in 1984 to help preserve the historically important site and to make it an educationally valuable resource. Part of the work of the Friends includes the creation of a living paper museum, where the history of paper can be shown to visitors. Below are listed some activities organized specifically in commemoration of the anniversary. Complete details are still being planned. We encourage your attendance at these events, where possible, and suggest you bring others along to experience this significant part of both American and papermaking history. For further details, please check the most recent issue of the Hand Papermaking Newsletter.   The Friends of the Dard Hunter Paper Museum will hold their 1990 annual meeting, October 11-14, in the Philadelphia area, specifically to commemorate the anniversary of the Rittenhouse Mill. This meeting, the largest regular gathering of hand papermakers and those interested in both the history and the art of papermaking, has been held for the past seven years. With the meeting recently drawing over a hundred people, a large group with diverse interests is sure to gather this year. Tours to RittenhouseTown and participation in other events scheduled for this weekend are specifically planned to mark the 300th anniversary. After 300 Years: A National Exhibition of Current Handmade Paper Art, will be held at the Rosenfeld Gallery and the Haviland Gallery (University of the Arts), both in Philadelphia, October 7 through November 3, 1990. This will be a major exhibit presenting handmade paper as a major contemporary fine art medium. Jurors for the exhibit are Jane Farmer, Timothy Barrett, and Richard Rosenfeld. RittenhouseTown: The Beginnings of American Papermaking, a historical exhibit, will be on display at The Library Company in Philadelphia, in October, 1990. This exhibit of papermaking equipment and artifacts will include items from the Dard Hunter Paper Museum and historic paper moulds. A celebratory ceremony, planned by Jane Farmer and Bilg[']e Friedlaender, will take place at the site of the original Rittenhouse Mill in Philadelphia, October 11 through 14, 1990. This event will focus on the diversity of handmade papers made in America today. An exhibit of historical handmade papers, including items from the Leonard Schlosser collection, will take place at the New York Public Library, October through December, 1990. Robert Rainwater will curate this major exhibit of American handmade papers. Pyramid Atlantic will present its Award of Excellence to Hugh Hanson, President of the Board, Friends of Historic RittenhouseTown, in early November, 1990. Mr. Hanson is being honored in recognition of his dedicated efforts on behalf of the preservation and restoration of RittenhouseTown. American Papermaking: 300 Years, an exhibit planned by the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., will open in December 1990 and remain on view through November 1991. The exhibit will be curated by Helena Wright of the Graphic Arts Division and will include paper samples and papermaking artifacts.

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