| Alpha-Numeric Key: | CS-119 |
| Corporate Name: | Whitworth Brothers |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | Casey-Pruitt-Whitworth, including Henry J. and Jesse Whitworth |
| Location: | Pruitt's Lake [Barne's Lake?], four miles northeast of Avinger |
| County: | Cass |
| Years in Operation: | 29 years |
| Start Year: | 1900 |
| End Year: | 1928 |
| Decades: | 1900-1909,1910-1919,1920-1929 |
| Period of Operation: | 1900 to 1928 |
| Town: | Avinger |
| Company Town: | 1 |
| Peak Town Size: | 519 in 1934;1,600 in 1928; 519 in 1934 |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Shortleaf yellow pine, gum, and oak.
 Sawmill |
Pine Sawmill |
Hardwood Sawmill |
 Cypress Sawmill |
| Planer |
Planer Only |
Shingle |
Paper |
| Plywood |
Cotton |
Grist |
Unknown |
| Other |
|
|
|
|
| Power Source: | Steam
| Horse |
Mule |
Oxen |
Water |
| Water Overshot |
Water Turbine |
Diesel |
Unknown |
| Pit |
Steam |
Steam Circular |
Steam Band |
| Gas |
Electricity |
Other |
|
|
| Maximum Capacity: | |
| Capacity Comments: | 20,000 feet daily in 1928 on the sawmill and 40,000 feet on the planing mill |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Circular sawmill and planing mill with edgers and trimmers |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Missouri, Kansas, & Texas |
| Historicial Development: | The Whitworth Brothers established a successful lumber milling operation in Avinger that would last for more than twenty years. Fred McKenzie noted the Casey-Pruitt-Whitworth lumber mill at Pruitt's Lake in Cass County. The mill burned at “Barne's Lake,” according to McKenzie; this may have been a misprint for Pruitt's Lake.They established a mill town, which they supported with a commissary. They began with the old A. M. Rhyne planer at the southwest end of town and moved it four miles north of town. Will Powell served as the planer foreman. This planing mill was later passed on to E. C. Henderson (see Henderson).
By the later 1920s, the mills could manufacture 60,000 feet of lumber and finished products daily. Whitworth Brothers were not listed in the Lumbermen's Credit Rating Book of October 1934. |
| Research Date: | MCJ 04-04-96 |
| Prepared By: | M Johnson |