| Alpha-Numeric Key: | UP-170 |
| Corporate Name: | John O'Byrne |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | John O'Byrne |
| Location: | O'Byrne's Switch: Spruce Road and Highway 155 |
| County: | Upshur |
| Years in Operation: | 23 years |
| Start Year: | 1885 |
| End Year: | 1907 |
| Decades: | 1880-1889,1900-1909 |
| Period of Operation: | 1893 to 1907 |
| Town: | O'Byrne's Switch |
| Company Town: | 1 |
| Peak Town Size: | Unknown |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Lumber, cornmeal
 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: | 30000: 1893 |
| Capacity Comments: | 30,000 feet daily in 1893 |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Sawmill and grist mill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | St Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) |
| Historicial Development: | G. H. Baird's A Brief History of Upshur County notes that John O'Byrne operated a large sawmill with many workers several miles east of Union Grove during the 1880s and 1890s. A Galveston newspaper reported that O'Byrne was cutting 30,000 feet daily at Gladewater, in Gregg County, in 1893.
The Saga of Cherokee County reports that John O'Byrne built a home in 1883 in what is now considered the Union Grove community. O'Byrne farmed, and operated a sawmill, a grist mill, and a commissary. |
| Research Date: | MCJ 05-03-96 |
| Prepared By: | M. Johnson |