| Alpha-Numeric Key: | OR-19 |
| Corporate Name: | Lutcher & Moore Lumber Company |
| Local Name: | “Lower Mill” |
| Owner Name: | Lutcher & Moore Lumber Company. L. Miller Lumber and Shingle Co, purchased from G. W. Michael. |
| Location: | On the northern edge of Orange, on the Sabine River |
| County: | Orange |
| Years in Operation: | 48 years |
| Start Year: | 1883 |
| End Year: | 1930 |
| Decades: | 1880-1889,1890-1899,1900-1909,1910-1919,1920-1929,1930-1939 |
| Period of Operation: | 1883 to 1930 |
| Town: | Orange |
| Company Town: | 2 |
| Peak Town Size: | 7000 in 1906; 17000 in 1928 |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Shingles from cypress; and lumber and ties; all kinds of export lumber.
 Sawmill |
Pine Sawmill |
Hardwood Sawmill |
Cypress Sawmill |
| Planer |
Planer Only |
Shingle |
Paper |
| Plywood |
Cotton |
Grist |
Unknown |
| Other |
|
|
|
|
| Power Source: | 400-horsepower steam engine
| Horse |
Mule |
Oxen |
Water |
| Water Overshot |
Water Turbine |
Diesel |
Unknown |
| Pit |
Steam |
Steam Circular |
Steam Band |
| Gas |
Electricity |
Other |
|
|
| Maximum Capacity: | 150000: 1905 |
| Capacity Comments: | The mill had an initial capacity of 100,000 feet daily, increased to 150,000 by 1905. |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Double circular, band, gang. 1905: band, gang edgers, trimmers,automatic steam loaders, flippers, and a shotgun feed, elevated water tanks and sprinkler systems. |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Gulf, Sabine, & Red River; Orange & Northwestern; Texas and New Orleans. |
| Historicial Development: | Lutcher and Moore , from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, relocated in Orange and began building their first mill, the Crescent & Queen, known as the Upper Mill. The second mill, the one above known as the Lower Mill, was originally a shingle mill built and owned by G. W. Michael from 1883 to 1887. He sold it to L. Miller in 1887, who organized it as the L. Miller Lumber and Shingle Company. As cypress became scarcer for shingles, a new lumber mill was built in 1899 next to the older one. Lutcher and Moore bought it in 1901 and took operational control in 1904. It shipped 10.2 million feet in September 1905. The Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company paid a monthly wage of $22,000 in 1905 to its employees, who worked a ten-hour day. By 1905, it had elevated water tanks and sprinkler systems. In 1905, their company tapline, the Gulf & Sabine, included 100 miles of main and lateral tracks, ten locomotives, 151 log cars. It shipped 10.2 million feet in September that year.
The Lower Mill, according to The Gulf Coast Lumberman, burned to the ground with a $150,000 loss in 1915. By May 1917, the facility was being rebuilt, and was running by July, two months later, according to The Gulf Coast Lumberman. The rebuilt lumber mill had the latest in gang edgers, trimmers,automatic steam loaders, flippers, and a shotgun feed.
Williams believes it was closed September 19, 1929. The Gulf Coast Lumberman reported in May, 1930, that one of the Lutcher & Moore mills were closed, and the other was attempting to access Caribbean timber in order to stay open. The Great Depression closed both mills by the end of 1930. Wier Long Leaf Lumber Company leased Lutcher's log reserve in Newton County. I
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| Research Date: | MCJ 03-24-96 |
| Prepared By: | M. Johnson |