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Finkbine-Guild Lumber Company
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Finkbine-Guild Lumber Company
The Finkbine-Guild Lumber Company was established to harvest and market the virgin longleaf pine (Pinus palustris L.) stands of southern Mississippi during the early 20th century. The main sawmills were located in Wiggins and D'Lo, Mississippi. When the local timber supply dwindled, the company tried to utilize redwood trees from California, but that operation failed because of high transportation costs. Other attempts were made at promoting a more diversified use of the cutover timberlands; some ventures were successful while others were not.
Up until the 20th century, the virgin pine forests of south Mississippi were virtually untouched by man, because there was no efficient system for transporting cut logs from the forests to sawmills for conversion to lumber. There was an immense expanse of longleaf pine, stretching from Virginia, southwest through nine U.S. States, ending in east Texas, and covering more than 140,000 square miles (363,000 square kilometers). Longleaf pine was the major species of interest to southern lumbermen due to its straightness and durability from a high resin content.
A few sawmills were located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, near the mouths of rivers and streams, which were used for rafting logs to the mills. Because of limited inland waterways for moving logs, vast timberlands remained inaccessible to lumbermen.
The river system of transporting logs to sawmills in south Mississippi ended in the late 19th century, when the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SIRR) was constructed. The main line of the G&SIRR extended 160 miles (257 kilometers) from Gulfport, north and northwest to Jackson the State capital. The G&SIRR began operation from Gulfport to Hattiesburg in 1897, with the extension from Hattiesburg to Jackson in 1900. The G&SIRR passed through the town of Wiggins located halfway between Gulfport and Hattiesburg. As a result of the growing timber industry, Wiggins had developed as a sawmill town.
Two millionaire businessmen from Des Moines, Iowa, brothers W.O. and E.C. Finkbine, learned of considerable wealth in the form of timber, minerals, sand, and gravel located in the northern section of Harrison County (now Stone County). They owned the Green Bay Lumber Company, along with lumberyards throughout Iowa. The brothers also owned a 17,000-acre (6,900 ha) wheat farm in Canada. But the main selling point in Mississippi was the vast acreage of virgin southern yellow pine timber.
Officers of the Finkbine Lumber Company were E. C. Finkbine, (president), W. O. Finkbine (vice president), and W. E. Guild (treasurer). In 1901, they purchased two sawmills owned by the Niles City Lumber Company in Wiggins, Mississippi. In 1903, W. E. Guild became general manager of the Wiggins sawmills, and Finkbine Lumber Company acquired all of Niles City Lumber Company's timberlands. Within Stone County, the Finkbine Lumber Company owned approximately 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) of timberland.
In 1903, Finkbine Lumber Company completed construction of a new double-band sawmill at Wiggins. The new mill was able to produce 125,000 board feet of lumber per day. It had five dry kilns, a large planing mill and a shed for storing finished lumber. The mill sawed longleaf pine logs into dimensional lumber and construction timbers. Finkbine Lumber Company conducted business in both domestic and export markets. The shipping port in Gulfport, Mississippi served as their export hub.
A large company store was built in Wiggins to enhance Finkbine's business. The store was operated under the name of the Kew Mercantile Company and served Finkbine Lumber Company employees and the community at large.
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Finkbine-Guild Lumber Company
The Finkbine-Guild Lumber Company was established to harvest and market the virgin longleaf pine (Pinus palustris L.) stands of southern Mississippi during the early 20th century. The main sawmills were located in Wiggins and D'Lo, Mississippi. When the local timber supply dwindled, the company tried to utilize redwood trees from California, but that operation failed because of high transportation costs. Other attempts were made at promoting a more diversified use of the cutover timberlands; some ventures were successful while others were not.
Up until the 20th century, the virgin pine forests of south Mississippi were virtually untouched by man, because there was no efficient system for transporting cut logs from the forests to sawmills for conversion to lumber. There was an immense expanse of longleaf pine, stretching from Virginia, southwest through nine U.S. States, ending in east Texas, and covering more than 140,000 square miles (363,000 square kilometers). Longleaf pine was the major species of interest to southern lumbermen due to its straightness and durability from a high resin content.
A few sawmills were located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, near the mouths of rivers and streams, which were used for rafting logs to the mills. Because of limited inland waterways for moving logs, vast timberlands remained inaccessible to lumbermen.
The river system of transporting logs to sawmills in south Mississippi ended in the late 19th century, when the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SIRR) was constructed. The main line of the G&SIRR extended 160 miles (257 kilometers) from Gulfport, north and northwest to Jackson the State capital. The G&SIRR began operation from Gulfport to Hattiesburg in 1897, with the extension from Hattiesburg to Jackson in 1900. The G&SIRR passed through the town of Wiggins located halfway between Gulfport and Hattiesburg. As a result of the growing timber industry, Wiggins had developed as a sawmill town.
Two millionaire businessmen from Des Moines, Iowa, brothers W.O. and E.C. Finkbine, learned of considerable wealth in the form of timber, minerals, sand, and gravel located in the northern section of Harrison County (now Stone County). They owned the Green Bay Lumber Company, along with lumberyards throughout Iowa. The brothers also owned a 17,000-acre (6,900 ha) wheat farm in Canada. But the main selling point in Mississippi was the vast acreage of virgin southern yellow pine timber.
Officers of the Finkbine Lumber Company were E. C. Finkbine, (president), W. O. Finkbine (vice president), and W. E. Guild (treasurer). In 1901, they purchased two sawmills owned by the Niles City Lumber Company in Wiggins, Mississippi. In 1903, W. E. Guild became general manager of the Wiggins sawmills, and Finkbine Lumber Company acquired all of Niles City Lumber Company's timberlands. Within Stone County, the Finkbine Lumber Company owned approximately 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) of timberland.
In 1903, Finkbine Lumber Company completed construction of a new double-band sawmill at Wiggins. The new mill was able to produce 125,000 board feet of lumber per day. It had five dry kilns, a large planing mill and a shed for storing finished lumber. The mill sawed longleaf pine logs into dimensional lumber and construction timbers. Finkbine Lumber Company conducted business in both domestic and export markets. The shipping port in Gulfport, Mississippi served as their export hub.
A large company store was built in Wiggins to enhance Finkbine's business. The store was operated under the name of the Kew Mercantile Company and served Finkbine Lumber Company employees and the community at large.