Dupont Lumber Co. (1916-1921)

Gulf Pine Lumber Co. (1921-1927)

Standard gauge, 35-lb rail Headquarters: Poplarville Mill Location: Dupont, MS (Pearl River County) Mill Capacity: 60,000 ft/day in 1922 Years of Operation: 1916-1927 Miles Operated: 4 miles in 1926 Locomotives Owned:	Equipment: 1 McGiffert log loader, 8 log cars.	Click Map for Larger Version
History by Gil Hoffman: On March 1, 1916, Mulford Parker purchased the sawmill plant and timber holdings, amounting to 1,760 acres, of the White Cedar Pile & Pole Company (belonging to C. E. Batty), about two miles south of Poplarville, Pearl River County, for $18,000. To operate the newly acquired sawmill plant, the Dupont Lumber Company was incorporated at Poplarville on May 1, 1916, by Mulford Parker, of Ellisville; Lawrence Dupont, of Poplarville, and L. M. Noland, of Kola, with authorized capital stock of $10,000. The sawmill was of the circular type with a cutting capacity of 40,000 feet per day. Mulford Parker was president of the company and L. H. Dupont, secretary. A spur track ran northward from the mill for about 2½ miles to a connection with the New Orleans & Northeastern on the south edge of Poplarville. The logging railroad was laid on the roadbed of an old dummy line of the Poplarville Saw Mill Company.  On January 1, 1921, operations were suspended and on August 2, 1921 the company was judged bankrupt with T. C. Hannah appointed Trustee. On October 5, 1921 the assets of the company were conveyed to the First National Bank, of Hattiesburg, MS, and on October 31, 1921, resold to the Gulf Pine Lumber Company. The Gulf Pine Lumber Company was a copartnership composed of L. H. Dupont, of Poplarville; L. M. Noland, of Kola, and S. A. Windom, of Kola. On October 31, 1921, these men purchased the plant of the bankrupt Dupont Lumber Company, at Poplarville, from the First National Bank of Hattiesburg. They also purchased a tract of longleaf yellow pine timber in Pearl River County from the Edward Hines Yellow Pine Trustees, of Lumberton. L. H. Dupont was the general manager.  The Dupont sawmill was rebuilt and began sawing in January 1922. It was of the circular type with a cutting capacity of 60,000 feet per day, specializing in railroad and car material, shed stock and boards. The general manager was L. H. Dupont.  The mill cut out about June 1926. On January 22, 1927, the sawmill and logging railroad were sold to C. L. Spottswood for salvage.
ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:     Road No.   Type   Builder   C.N.   Date   Cyls.   Dri. Dia.   Engine Wt.   Previous Ownership   Disposition   1   13-2 Shay   Lima   318   10/1890   2-7x12   26   28000   Ellisville Lumber Co. #318, Melrose, MS Kola Lumber Co. #318, Kola, MS Dupont Lumber Co. #1, ca. 1916.   Gulf Pine Lumber Co. #318, Poplarville, MS, on 10/31/1921.   2   33-2 Shay   Lima   777   2/1904   3-10x10   28   66000   Built as: Kola Lumber Co. #777, Kola, MS Diverted to Ellisville Lumber Co. #777, Melrose, MS Kola Lumber Co. #777, Kola, MS, by 5/1914. Dupont Lumber Co. #2, ca. 1916.   Gulf Pine Lumber Co. #777, Poplarville, MS, on 10/31/1921. C. L. Spotswood #2, Poplarville, MS, on 1/22/1927. Scrapped 9/22/1933.   3   50-2 Shay   Lima   358   8/1891   3-12x12   32   100000   Emporium & Rich Valley #1 Old Dan, Emporium, PA (C. B. Howard & Co.) Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1298 Dupont Lumber Co. #3, on 7/13/1918. Cost $4,750. See Note.   Gulf Pine Lumber Co. #358, Poplarville, MS, on 10/31/1921.   790   33-2 Shay   Lima   790   2/1904   3-10x10   28   66000   Built as: Ellisville Lumber Co. #790, Melrose, MS Diverted to: Kola Lumber Co. #790, Kola, MS Gulf Pine Lumber Co. #790   For sale 6/1926. Darrah Long Leaf Lumber Co. #790, Chastang, AL Scrapped 1927.   1726   28-2 Shay   Lima   1726   9/1906   3-8x12   28   56000   Built as: Kaupp Lumber Co. #2, Shubuta, MS, but shipped to: West-King Lumber Co., Waynesboro, MS Waterford Lumber Co. #3, Waynesboro, MS, in 1913. Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1513, on 12/10/1919. Nortac Manufacturing Co. #1, on 1/14/1920. Rented to Batson-McGehee Co. #1, Millard, MS, ca. 8/1924. Returned by 4/1/1925. Gulf Pine Lumber Co. #1726   For sale 6-1926. D. L. Fair Lumber Co. #1, Louisville, MS, in 8/1928. Changed to 36 inch gauge. Bissell-Alabama Lumber Co. #1, Castleberry, AL, ca. 4/1930. Changed back to standard gauge.   Note:    Records of the Southern Iron & Equipment Company show their No. 1298 as Mt. Penn Gravity R.R. #3 (c/n 277), but land mortgage records in the courthouse at Poplarville, MS, show that the engine delivered by Southern Iron & Equipment Company to the Dupont Lumber Company was c/n 358 — see Trust Deed Record Land No. 7, p. 624.

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