| Alpha-Numeric Key: | OR-24 |
| Corporate Name: | M. T. Jones Lumber Company |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | M. T. Jones Lumber Company. David R. Wingate Lumber Company |
| Location: | Adjacent to Josiah Jordan's Excelsior Shingle Mill |
| County: | Orange |
| Years in Operation: | 25 years |
| Start Year: | 1878 |
| End Year: | 1902 |
| Decades: | 1870-1879,1880-1889,1890-1899,1900-1909 |
| Period of Operation: | 1878 to 1902 |
| Town: | Orange |
| Company Town: | 1 |
| Peak Town Size: | 7000 in 1906 |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Sawmill and shingle mill
 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: | 35000: 1880 70000: 1890 |
| Capacity Comments: | 35,000 feet daily (seven carloads), second mill 70,000-90,000 feet with 75,000-125,000 shingles daily. |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | A sawmill with a 4-gang saw and circular saw powered by a steam engine with three boilers. |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Orange & Northwestern Rwy. Texas & New Orleans Rwy. |
| Historicial Development: | After selling a Louisiana sawmill to Charles Moore, Judge David R. Wingate began building another mill in Orange. The original mill was built in 1877-1878 at a cost of $50,00-$60,000. The company did its own logging from the Sabine River swamp bottoms. Its first order was for 250,000 of crossties. The 1880 Census reveals that the mill was capitalized at $35,000. An average of forty-five employees worked eleven-hour, earning skilled wages of $3.00 and unskilled wages of $1.50. $20,000 in total wages was paid during the reporting period. From $60,000 of pine and cypress logs and supplies worth $5,500, the mill produced ten million board feet and two million shingles. In 1880, Wingate paid sawyers $4.00 and planers $3.00 daily. Employees had to take 1/3rd of pay in merchandise at the company store. It burned in 1880 with a loss of $50,000, allegedly the fault of a watchman who left a boy in charge. Its location can be found on an 1896 Howard C. Williams-annotated Sanborn-Perris map.
A larger, second mill was built on the same site in 1881 at a cost of $60,000. In 1888, the head machinist was Mr. McKeever, the superintendent Rufus Wingate, with Sam Swinford in charge of the office. The mill burned in June 1890, with a loss of $25,000 after insurance. In late 1890, a much larger mill than the two earlier was built as Judge Wingate reorganized as a joint-stock company under the direction of his son-in-law, B. H. Norsworthy, and John McKinnon. In 1894, the current manager was Carl F. Pannewitz, who also managed the Orange Lumber Company (M. T. Jones). M. T. Jones Lumber (Colonel M. T. Jones, President; A. F. Sharpe, Secretary-Treasurer) purchased the the stock and operated the mill under the name of D. R. Wingate from its offices in Houston. M. T. Jones had controlling interest by 1895. The third mill burned in April 1902 and was not rebuilt.
|
| Research Date: | MCJ 03-24-96 |
| Prepared By: | M. Johnson |