| Alpha-Numeric Key: | MA-77 |
| Corporate Name: | W. Thomas Williams |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | W. Thomas Williams. W. J. Williams & Son. W. J. Williams & J. A. Dalzell. W. J. Sedberry. |
| Location: | Jefferson |
| County: | Marion |
| Years in Operation: | 34 years |
| Start Year: | 1873 |
| End Year: | 1906 |
| Decades: | 1870-1879,1880-1889,1890-1899,1900-1909 |
| Period of Operation: | 1873 to 1906 |
| Town: | Jefferson |
| Company Town: | 2 |
| Peak Town Size: | Unknown |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Lumber, lathes, shingles. Only shingles in 1906.
 Sawmill |
 Pine Sawmill |
Hardwood Sawmill |
Cypress Sawmill |
| Planer |
Planer Only |
Shingle |
Paper |
| Plywood |
Cotton |
Grist |
Unknown |
| Other |
|
|
|
|
| Power Source: | 40-horsepower steam engine in 1880
| Horse |
Mule |
Oxen |
Water |
| Water Overshot |
Water Turbine |
Diesel |
Unknown |
| Pit |
Steam |
Steam Circular |
Steam Band |
| Gas |
Electricity |
Other |
|
|
| Maximum Capacity: | 10000: 1880 20000: 1893 |
| Capacity Comments: | 1,200, 000 feet for both mills during the reporting period of the 1880 Census (estimated 10,000 feet daily). 20,000 feet daily in 1893. |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Circular sawmill, shingle mill, and planing mill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Texas & Pacific; Missouri, Kansas City & Texas |
| Historicial Development: | W. J. Williams & Son owned and operated sawmills at Jefferson and at Nard for some years. In 1880, in the Census, the mills were listed at both places. A 1893 newspaper account reported only the Jefferson sawmill, which was cutting 20,000 feet daily.
The Jefferson sawmill probably began as the W. J. Sedberry site, which W. J. Williams and J. A. Dalzell owned it by 1873. It was a complete sawmill for the time, milling lumber, lathes, and shingles. The mill was a steam-powered circular sawmill, capable of cutting several million feet of lumber annually. In 1880, the Census reported that its d capital value was $8,000. With a work force of twenty men, who put in ten-hour shifts summer and winter, the sawmill cut 1,200,000 feet of lumber from supplies and sawlogs worth $7,000 during the six months the plant operated. The men earned $1.25 to $3.00 daily and they earned a total wage of $3,000. The gross value of production totaled $13,200.
By 1907, W. Thomas Williams was manufacturing only shingles at Jefferson.
|
| Research Date: | MCJ 05-04-96 |
| Prepared By: | M Johnson |