USG Corporation is one of Michigan’s oldest operating partners in the extractive industries, and we are proud of our heritage in the Great Lakes State. More than a century after we were founded, we remain committed to being a steward for the environment, people, businesses and communities we serve across Michigan.

We are intensely proud of our long history in local communities like Alabaster, near Tawas City on Lake Huron. In fact, the Alabaster quarry was one of the first locations that joined USG Corporation when we were founded in 1902. Today, it remains one of only three original locations that have operated continuously for the past century.

We are committed to the people and to the state of Michigan. We are now seeking to develop land next to our current gypsum quarry that would enable safe and sustainable production of well-known building products like Sheetrock® drywall.

We propose a mutually beneficial solution that supports our community’s valuable natural resources while enabling USG to continue supplying gypsum rock – a key material for dozens of Michigan companies and industries – for years to come. This plan affirms our 119-year investment in the region, our celebrated history in Alabaster and our active involvement in communities throughout the Great Lakes State.

We began here. We are still here. And we want to continue here.

In addition to learning more about our proposal, we ask you to take a few moments to let the Department of Natural Resources know you support USG’s efforts to help build a better Michigan now and in the future.

USG HISTORY IN ALABASTER

Gypsum

1837
A large deposit of gypsum is discovered and the area is named Alabaster (after a variety of pale, fine-grained gypsum rock).

Monument

1893
Gypsum from Alabaster is made into plaster that coats nearly 200 buildings in the World’s Fair: Columbian Exposition, earning it the name “The White City.”

Old building

1902
The Alabaster Co. becomes a founding member of the United States Gypsum Company, now called USG Corporation.

Historic sheetrock application directions

1917
USG releases Sheetrock® wallboard, the first modern panel with a single layer of plaster and paper that could be joined flush along a wall with a relatively smooth surface.

Building by the water

1928
The Alabaster plant is expanded, including a larger quarry and the now-closed offshore storage bins in Saginaw Bay.

Old photograph of group of people

1965
USG’s Alabaster plant celebrates its 100th anniversary. Today, Alabaster is one of the only original locations to operate continuously since joining USG in 1902.


2012
Part of the Sunrise Side Path is built on 72 acres of USG property, granted as an easement to Alabaster Township for the recreation and enjoyment of all.

Construction vehicles and workers

2017
USG is named a Top Workplace by the Detroit Free Press for the fourth consecutive year.

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