| Alpha-Numeric Key: | JE-56 |
| Corporate Name: | Reliance Lumber Company |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | Otto Ruff. A. J. Ward. E. L. Goldsmith and M. W. Reagan. Property changed ownership several times. Mark Weiss, James F. Ward, H. W. Potter, and W. P. H. McFaddin. See Reliance Lumber Company at Beaumont. |
| Location: | Beaumont |
| County: | Jefferson |
| Years in Operation: | 15 years |
| Start Year: | 1859 |
| End Year: | 1873 |
| Decades: | 1850-1859,1860-1869,1870-1879 |
| Period of Operation: | 1859 to 1867. Reliance bought the equipment and site in 1878. |
| Town: | Beaumont |
| Company Town: | 2 |
| Peak Town Size: | Ca. 1,000 |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | 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: | |
| Capacity Comments: | 1860: 1,000,000 board feet during the reporting period of the Census |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | In 1859, a single-circular sawmill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | None |
| Historicial Development: | Otto Ruff, one of the many immigrant Germans that influenced the social and commercial development of Texas, bought a Steadham (Indiana) sawmill to Texas in 1859. He cut more than a million board feet in the next year. A. J. Ward bought the mill in 1860 and used it on behalf of the Confederacy. After the War, E. L. Goldsmith and M. W. Reagan bought the sawmill but both died during the 1867 yellow fever epidemic in Houston. After their deaths, the property changed ownership several times, and the mill remained abandoned until 1878. Mark Weiss, in 1878, partnered with James F. Ward, H. W. Potter, and W. P. H. McFaddin to form the Reliance Lumber Company. They bought the site and its equipment.
See Reliance Lumber company entry at Beaumont. |
| Research Date: | MCJ 03-12-96 |
| Prepared By: | M Johnson |