| Alpha-Numeric Key: | AG-17 |
| Corporate Name: | Southern Pine Lumber Company |
| Local Name: | Southern Pine Lumber Company |
| Owner Name: | T. L. L. Temple, Ben Whitaker, C.M. Putnam, William Temple; L.D. Gilbert (originally); Arthur Temple. Originally, Southern Pine Lumber Company, later Temple Lumber Company. |
| Location: | Diboll, corner of Mill Street and the Southern Pacific tracks |
| County: | Angelina |
| Years in Operation: | 103 years |
| Start Year: | 1894 |
| End Year: | 1996 |
| Decades: | 1890-1899,1900-1909,1910-1919,1920-1929,1930-1939,1940-1949,1950-1959,1960-1969,1970-1979,1980-1989,1990-1999 |
| Period of Operation: | The oldest operating lumber plant in Texas. |
| Town: | Diboll |
| Company Town: | 1 |
| Peak Town Size: | 1500 in 1927; 3000 in 1934 |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Pine and hardwood
| 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: | 50000: 1894 125000: 1899 200000: 1927 |
| Capacity Comments: | From 50,000 feet of lumber daily in 1894 to 200,000 feet daily in 1927. 126,000,000 feet in 1958; 375,000,000 feet in 1966. 150,000,000 feet in 1973. |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | From a circular sawmill and planing mill to a complete sawmill with band, chip-n-saw, and chipper. |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Texas & Southeastern, the company tram road. Houston East & West Texas. |
| Historicial Development: | Temple Inland Forest Products, Inc., of Diboll, Texas, operates the oldest lumber plant in Texas. The Southern Pine Lumber Company, with T. L. L. Temple, was organized in 1893 and reorganized in 1902. Temple constructed a 50,000-foot circular sawmill and a planing mill at Diboll in March 1894, which began operations three months later. Temple, although residing in Texarkana, located and laid out the company town of Diboll.
A new double band mill was erected in 104 days and began operation on June 12, 1903; it had a 100,00 foot cutting capacity in a 10-hour day. The new planer's output matched that of the sawmill. By 1904, an electric dynamo had been added for night operations. In 1907, a second mill was added to the operation, designated "sawmill no. 2." It was capable of cutting pine at 50,000 feet/ten hours or hardwoods at 40,000 feet/ten hours. Other machinery included an 8-saw double edger, an 8-saw slasher, and a 65,000-foot capacity lath. The company also owned eight locomotives by 1908 for its tram operations and its shortline, the Texas & Southeastern.
Over the decades the company expanded, changed its name to Temple Lumber Company, and finally to Temple-Inland Forest Products. It owned major plants in Sabine County, Texas, at Hemphill and Pineland. The Pineland plant is still operating under Temple leadership.
During the 1960s, a plywood plant, a particle-board plant, a fiberboard plant, and the construction of an ultra-modern sawmill facility were added. Its centralized log processing unit in 1965 fed the sawmill, the plywood plant, and the treatment plant. It employed 1500 personnel, with a production value of $66,000,000. The particle board operation cut its one billionth foot by July, 1983.In 1990, it had nine operations, including five in Texas. The Diboll plant in 1995 was working with panels and woodlands management. |
| Research Date: | JKG 8-30-93, MCJ 04-15-96 |
| Prepared By: | J. Gerland, M. Johnson |