Deemer Manufacturing Co. (1906-1917)
New Deemer Manufacturing Co. (1917-1924)
Adams-Newell Lumber Co. (1924-1933)
Reynolds Lumber Co. (1933-1940)
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Standard Gauge 60-lb rail Headquarters and mill location: Deemer, MS (Neshoba County) Years of Operation: 1906-1940 Mill Capacity: 50,000 ft/day in 1910 Miles Operated: 15 in 1910 Locomotives Owned: 7 |
Equipment:
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Click Map for Larger Version |
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History by Gil Hoffman: The
Deemer Manufacturing Company was incorporated in Tioga County, PA. In late
1906 the company acquired 40,000 acres of timber near Philadelphia, MS, and
built a sawmill at Deemer, two miles south of Philadelphia, on the Mobile,
Jackson & Kansas City Railroad. In 1910 the cutting capacity of the
Deemer mill was 75,000 feet per day. On
August 27, 1917, Swords R. Lee, A. Albert, Robert Slack and Dr. W. D. Hass,
all of Alexandria, La., and Emil Sundbery, of Napoleonville, Louisiana,
purchased the sawmill and timber holdings of the Deemer Manufacturing
Company, at Deemer, Neshoba County for $1,000,000. The sawmill was a double
band type with a cutting capacity of 100,000 feet per day. The New Deemer
Manufacturing Company was then formed to operate the property. The
Adams-Newell Lumber Company bought the sawmill and timber holdings of the
New Deemer Manufacturing Company at Deemer, Neshoba County, on May 31, 1924,
for $875,000. Included in the purchase were a 100,000 ft. daily capacity
sawmill, 12 miles of logging railroad, 4 locomotives and 50 log cars.
Officers of the company were: Frank L. Adams, of Jackson, MS, president; C.
H. Howell, of Oklahoma City, vice president, and J. C. Liggett, of Morton,
MS, secretary and treasurer. The mill at Deemer cut 65 percent pine and 35
percent hardwoods. The
Reynolds Lumber Company, composed of H. D. Reynolds, A. B. Banks and J. C.
Liggett, bought the holdings of the Adams-Newell Lumber Company, at Deemer,
on September 28, 1933, for $282,000. The Reynolds plant was taken over by
the Deemer Lumber Company in March 1940.
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New Deemer Mfg. No. 1 at the mill at Deemer with a full load of logs for the mill pond. |
Deemer Manufacturing No. 1, a trim Lima mogul (2-6-0) looks to be fairly new in this postcard view. |
Deemer Mfg. operated at least one Barnhart log loader, as attested to in this photo. |
A log spur in the Pearl River swamps is an excellent illustration of "corduroy" method of supporting crossties with small logs lengthwise underneath to provide additional support in boggy areas. |
An excellent overview of the town of Deemer that grew up around the mill. Deemer was at one time larger than nearby Philadelphia. The two-story building in the center was the heart of the town... the company offices and commissary. The depot is seen just beyond it. A short 4-wheel "bobber" caboose can be seen on a NOM&C freight near the depot. |
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Shay No. 2 with a load of logs and Barnhart loader No. 1. |
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| Locomotive Roster by Gil Hoffman:
1
2-6-0
Lima
1031
5-1906
36
14x18
59600
Built
as Gates Lumber Co. #6, Wilmar, AR; diverted to Deemer Manufacturing Co. Sold
to New Deemer Manufacturing Co. #1, Deemer, MS, on 8-27-1917; to
Adams-Newell Lumber Co. #1, Deemer, MS, on 5-31-1924; to Adams-Banks
Lumber Co. #1, Morton, MS; to Simpson County Gravel Co. #1, Saratoga, MS,
in 2-1929. 2
2T Shay
Lima
1954
6-1907
29½
3-10x12
74000
Purchased
new. Sold
to New Deemer Manufacturing Co. #2, Deemer, MS, on 8-27-1917; to
Adams-Newell Lumber Co. #2, Deemer, MS, on 5-31-1924; to Reynolds Lumber
Co. #2, Deemer, MS, on 9-28-1933. 3
2T Shay
Lima
2692
10-1913
32
3-11x12
107500
Purchased
from Lima Locomotive Works through Woodward-Wight & Co., New Orleans,
LA (Lima
dealer), on 12-9-1916. Built
as Alabama-Mississippi Lumber Co. #7, Monroe, MS; returned to Lima and
held for Woodward-Wight & Co. Sold
to New Deemer Manufacturing Co. #3, Deemer, MS, on 8-27-1917; to
Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co., Birmingham, AL; to Adams-Banks
Lumber Co. #3, Morton, MS, on 9-7-1923; to Adams-Newell
Lumber Co. #3, Deemer, MS; to Reynolds Lumber Co. #3, Deemer, MS, on
9-28-1933. Scrapped
1935. 4
2-6-2
Baldwin
42137
6-1915
44
17x24
128500
Purchased
from Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. #1478, Birmingham, AL, on
6-28-1923. Built
as Mine La Motte Co. #3, Mine La Motte, MO; to Birmingham Rail &
Locomotive Co. #1478. Sold
to Adams-Newell Lumber Co. #4, Deemer, MS, on 5-31-1924; to Birmingham
Rail & Locomotive Co. #1540, Birmingham, Ala.; to Reynolds-West Lumber
Co. #4, Burnside, MS, on 7-1-1925; to Marietta Lumber Co. #4, Burnside,
MS, in 1928. Baldwin class 10-28¼ D 55 2nd
2 2T
Heisler
Heisler
1222
-1911
36
14x12
72000
Purchased
from Lamb-Fish Lumber Co., Charleston, MS Ordered
as: Louisell Lumber Co. #6, Richardson, MS; diverted to: A. G. Little
Lumber Co. #1, Richardson, MS; to Enterprise Foundry & Machine Co.,
Hattiesburg, MS; to Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1294, Atlanta, GA;
to Lamb-Fish Lumber Co., on 5-13-1918. To Reynolds Lumber Co. #2, on 9-28-1933.
5
3T Shay
Lima
2828
5-1916
36
3-12x15
146000
Purchased
from Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. #1515, Birmingham, AL, on
6-25-1924. Built
as Henderson Land & Lumber Co. #3, Fox, AL; to Birmingham Rail &
Locomotive Co. #1515. To Reynolds Lumber Co. #5, on 9-28-1933.
?
2T Heisler
Heisler
1262
-1912
33
13x12
72000
Transferred
from Adams-Banks Lumber Co. #2, Morton, MS Built
as Hall & Legan Lumber Co. #2, Morton, MS; to Adams-Banks Lumber Co.
#2, on 2-18-1922. To
Reynolds Lumber Co., on 9-28-1933.
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For more information contact Tony Howe at howe6818@bellsouth.net or David S. Price at dsprice46@bellsouth.net