In the 1870s, Camden County experienced a boom in turpentine production from resin distilled from pine gum. Harvesting the gum was labor-intensive, back-breaking work done during the hottest, most humid part of the year. After collection, the gum was melted and its vapor condensed into turpentine for uses including early ship building, solvents, lubricants, and medicines. By 1915, Burdette Loomis of Connecticut had built a paper plant on North River, and the county’s greatest economic impact came when Gilman Paper Company built the St. Marys Kraft Corporation plant in 1940.