| Alpha-Numeric Key: | MA-73 |
| Corporate Name: | W. G. Ragley Lumber Company |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | W. G. Ragley Lumber Company |
| Location: | Between Orr's Switch and Avinger |
| County: | Marion |
| Years in Operation: | 5 years |
| Start Year: | 1898 |
| End Year: | 1902 |
| Decades: | 1890-1899,1900-1909 |
| Period of Operation: | About 1898 to 1902 |
| Town: | Near Orr's Switch |
| Company Town: | 1 |
| Peak Town Size: | Unknown |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Lumber
 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: | 20000: 1900 |
| Capacity Comments: | Estimated about 20,000 feet daily |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Sawmill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Sherman, Shreveport & Southern |
| Historicial Development: | W. G. Ragley immigrated to Texas from Iowa in 1879. He had earlier run a water mill in Pennsylvania. Ragley and his partners erected and operated the W. R. Ragley Lumber Company mill in several locations in East Texas and Louisiana. He served as superintendent of the Jefferson Lumber Company in 1892. In Marion County, he operated mills located about a mile southwest of Jefferson, the county seat, and near Orr's Switch, in the northwestern part of the county. The Ragley tram road in Marion County became the genesis for the Texas Southern Railway Company. The company continued to buy tram road right-of-ways through the pineries in Marion and Harrison counties until 1902.
James H. Bemis may have been a partner with Ragley in this operation. |
| Research Date: | MCJ 05-04-96 |
| Prepared By: | M. Johnson |