International Paper announced this morning that they are permanently shutting down a mill in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The plant has been a part of Franklin since 1887 and is the area’s largest employer. International Paper bought the mill in 1999 and has made several cutbacks in production there in the intervening years. The plant is scheduled to close permanently next year as part of a company wide scale back in production due to lowered demand for its products.

International Paper is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee and employs 51,000 people globally. It is the largest pulp and paper company in the world.