Research: Sawmill Database

Alpha-Numeric Key: AG-26
Corporate Name: Henderson Land & Lumber Company
Local Name:
Owner Name: The Foster Lumber Company owned the mill and leased it to Henderson Land & Lumber Company. T. R. Bonner and Company: T. R. and J. H. Bonner, A. M. Grambling. Clawson Lumber Company: S.C. Olive; J. W. Mann; A. J. Caruthers; J. K. Rose.
Location: Clawson, originally Bonnersville, intersection of highway 2021 and Cotton Belt (SLSW)
County: Angelina
Years in Operation: 23 years
Start Year: 1886
End Year: 1908
Decades: 1880-1889,1890-1899,1900-1909
Period of Operation: Bonner, 1886; Clawson, 1891; Foster, 1903-1908, leased to Henderson.
Town: Clawson ( Bonnersville) (Olive)
Company Town: 1
Peak Town Size: 250 in 1910; 82 in 1905
Mill Pond:
Type of Mill: Rough and finished 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: 40000: 189375000: 1900
Capacity Comments: 40,000 feet daily by 1893 and later increased to 75,000 feet daily in both sawmill and planing mill
Produced:
Rough Lumber Planed Lumber Crossties Timbers
Lathe Ceiling Unknown Beading
Flooring Paper Plywood Particle Board
Treated Other
Equipment: A circular sawmill with a planing mill and dry kilns.
Company Tram:
Associated Railroads: St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt)
Historicial Development: When the St Louis Southwestern reached Lufkin in 1885, both T. R. Bonner and A. M. Grambling operated sawmills at Clawson. The Angelina County tax roll reveals that T. R. Bonner had a $9,500 valuation on his manufacturing equipment in 1888. A. L. Clark, president of Tyler Car and Lumber, became trustee of T. R. Bonner and Company. Grambling's mill plant, after the sawmill and dry kiln burned on August 23, 1891, was integrated into the Bonner plant, then known as the Clawson Lumber Company. Bonnersville became Clawson when T. W. Clawson became the mill manager. The sawmill facilities and properties were situated on a tract of land purchased from John Durst of the Tyler Car and Lumber Company in 1890, another A. L. Clark operation. Clark conveyed the burned mill and properties to the newly formed Clawson Lumber Company on December 30, 1891, which then operated the sawmill complex until April 1903. Ownership later consisted of A. J. Caruthers (general manager), S. C. Olive, J. W. Mann, and J. K. Rose. The mill burned again, in 1895. The mill was rebuilt and was advertised as cutting 75,000 feet per day in 1897. Foster Lumber had a deed of trust on the mill property by 1901 and bought it on April 20, 1903. Foster Lumber leased it to Henderson Land and Lumber Company, which controlled it until 1908, when the company dissolved on March 12. The management of Henderson Land and Lumber Company consisted of Simon W. Henderson, Sr., J. H. Kurth, Sr., Eli Wiener, A. J. Peavy (the mill manager), and F. Kavanaugh. The Foster Lumber Company was a very large lumber concern based out of Kansas City, MO. Among their interests in Texas included the Thompson-Tucker Lumber Company and the Trinity River Lumber Company.
Research Date: JKG 8-17-93, MCJ 12-04-95
Prepared By: J. Gerland, M Johnson