J. J. Newman Lumber Co.

Standard gauge, 45 & 60-lb rail Headquarters:  Mill Locations: Hattiesburg, MS (Forrest County) 1894-1935                            Sumrall, MS (Lamar Co.) 1902-1931 Mill Capacity: 150,000 ft/day Hattiesburg mill in 1910                          175,000 ft/day Sumrall mill in 1910 Years of Operation: 1894-1935 Miles Operated: 26 miles in 1910 Locomotives Owned: a bunch	Also see: Pearl & Leaf Rivers RR Mississippi Central RR Homochitto Lumber Co. Equipment: 1910- 11 locomotives, 350 cars, 6 Barnhart and 2 American log loaders.	Click Maps for Larger Versions
History by Gil Hoffman and Tony Howe: On November 6, 1894 the sawmill plant of the Wiscassett Mill Company, at Hattiesburg, Perry County, was purchased by J. J. Newman, William Dunbar, M. Dunn, Owen Charles and F. W. Williams for $40,000. To operate the newly acquired plant, these same men plus L. S. Brown incorporated the J. J. Newman Lumber Company for 50 years at Hattiesburg on December 6, 1894 with authorized capital stock of $65,000. On January 28, 1895 the Wiscassett property was transferred to the J. J. Newman Lumber Company for $40,000, the price paid for it. The original officers of the J. J. Newman Lumber Company were J. J. Newman, president, and L. S. Brown, secretary and treasurer. Later, Pennsylvania lumberman and investor Fenwick Peck acquired control of the J. J. Newman Lumber Co. and the Mississippi Central Railroad. The first logging railroad was built westward from Hattiesburg in 1895 and it was incorporated as the Pearl & Leaf Rivers Railroad on November 20, 1897. At this time, the railroad was only 8 miles long, but by 1901 the line had reached 19 miles to the new town of Sumrall, and the lumber company later built two more huge sawmills at that point in 1902-3 and 1905 respectively. As the railroad was expanded, the new goal to reach Natchez was chosen and the railroad was renamed the Mississippi Central on February 13, 1904. The lumber company built logging spurs off of the Mississippi Central at various places to supply logs to the mills at Hattiesburg and Sumrall. In 1906, construction started on what was called the "Pascagoula Extension" of the Mississippi Central from Hattiesburg to the southeast. The goal was to reach the Gulf port at Pascagoula, but it was ultimately only constructed about 14 miles to a point named Pines just northeast of Brooklyn. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. built an extensive network of logging railroads off of the Pascagoula Extension. The lumber company owned timber all the way from Brooklyn to south of Beaumont in Perry County. In 1921 the lumber company obtained trackage rights over the Gulf Mobile & Northern to reach their holdings south of Beaumont and established a large logging camp at Royce, just south of McLain.  The mill in Sumrall was primarily supplied from timber west of Sumrall, with large camps operated at Melba, Cantwell, Carson, and Hickory Grove. When this timber ran out, the mill was closed in 1931. As timber near Royce was exhausted in 1934, J J Newman bought a tract of timber in Simpson County from Eastman, Gardiner & Co., and ran log trains from near Magee over the Illinois Central to Hattiesburg. This timber only lasted a year, and the mill at Hattiesburg was closed as well in 1935.   For a detailed history of this operation see: Steam Whistles in the Piney Woods Volume 1, by Gilbert H. Hoffman
A Newman Lumber Co. Shay and a Pearl & Leaf Rivers passenger train at the new depot at Epley in 1903.
ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:        Road No.   Type   Builder   C.N.   Date   Cyls.   Dri. Dia.   Engine Wt.   Previous Ownership   Disposition   1st 1   28-2 Shay   Lima   326   12/1890   3-10x10   28   56000   J. J. Newman #326, Sweden Valley, PA J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 1st #1, in 3/1895. Used at Hattiesburg.   Bradford-Kees Lumber Co., Lofton, LA Loutre Lumber Co., Cargile, AR.   2nd 1   0-4-2   Brooks   696   4/1882   16x22   50   58500   Chicago & Atlantic #1 Chicago & Erie #401, in 8/1890. Erie R.R. #25, in 1895. Lackawanna Lumber Co., Mina, PA,  in 6/1897. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 2nd #1, in 4/1898. Cost $1,729.57. Used at Hattiesburg.   Homochitto Lumber Co. #1, Bude, MS, in 9/1912.   1st 2   0-4-2   Brooks   699   4/1882   16x22   50   58500   Chicago & Atlantic #4 Chicago & Erie #404, in 8/1890. Erie R.R. #26, in 1895. Lackawanna Lumber Co., Mina, PA, for: J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 1st #2, in 6/1897. Cost $1,517.70 plus $200.05 freight. Used at Hattiesburg.   Mississippi Central 1st #99, in 1904.   2nd 2   50-3 Shay   Lima   745   12/1902   3-12x15   32   125000   Re. from 1st #10, in 1906. Used at Sumrall.   Lamar Lumber Co., Clyde, MS during parts of 1915-16 (rented). Tallahala Lumber Co. #173,  Tallahala, MS, on 3/26/1918. Re. #4. Apollonia Lumber Co. #4, Pelahatchie, MS, by 12/12/1921. Pearl River Valley Lumber Co. #4, Canton, MS, in 1925. Scrapped 1936.   3rd 2   70-3 Shay   Lima   2223   2/1910   3-12x15   36   140000   Parsons Pulp & Lumber Co. #1, Dobbin, WV Champion Lumber Co. #1, Crestmont, NC Suncrest Lumber Co. #1, Sunburst, NC, on 12/18/1918. Salmen Brick & Lumber Co., Slidell, LA J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 3rd #2, ca. 8/1921. Used at Hattiesburg.   Scrapped 1940.   1st 3   Rod                           Unknown owner, Birmingham, AL. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 1st #3, in 9/1898. Cost $2,950. Used at Hattiesburg.   Dropped or renumbered by 11/1902.   2nd 3   50-3 Shay   Lima   739   11/1902   3-12x12   32   125000   Re. from 1st #7. Used at Sumrall.   New Lima boiler, order dated 3/23/1923. Scrapped 1938.   4   50-3 Shay   Lima   567   2/1899   3-12x12   32   100000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Cost $5,800 plus $171.98 freight. Used at Hattiesburg.   Bienville Lumber Co. #4, Alberta, LA Transferred to Forest, MS, in 1915.   5   50-3 Shay   Lima   603   6/1900   3-12x12   32   110000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Used at Hattiesburg.   Dropped by 1928.   1st 6   0-8-0   Baldwin   3841   3/1876   20x24   50   93600   Pennsylvania R.R. #120 (a 2-8-0) New York Equipment Co., in 1/1897. Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Co. #6, Louisville, KY J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 1st #6, on 9/20/1901. Cost $4.600. Baldwin class 10-34 E 20   Changed by J. J. Newman Lumber Co. to 0-8-0. Mississippi Central #106, in 1904, Converted back to 2-8-0.   2nd 6   65-3 Shay   Lima   1510   5/1905   3-12x15   36   130000   New.  Used at Hattiesburg.   Scrapped in 1936.   1st 7   50-3 Shay   Lima   739   11/1902   3-12x12   32   125000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Cost $8,500 plus $223.80 freight.   Re. 2nd #3 on arrival.   2nd 7   50-3 Shay   Lima   601   5/1900   3-12½x12   32   100000   Lackawanna Lumber Co. #7, Mina, PA Transferred to Cross Fork, PA, in 1903. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 2nd #7, in 1908. Used at Sumrall & Hattiesburg.   New Lima boiler, order dated 4/29/1927. Scrapped 9/1937.   1st 8   4-6-0   Baldwin   21220   11/1902   18x24   56   124000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Cost $10,883 plus $193.40 freight. Baldwin class 10-30 D 437   Mississippi Central #111, in 1904. Scrapped 1/1930.   2nd 8   65-3 Shay   Lima   1554   8/1905   3-12x15   36   137000   New. Used at Sumrall.   Scrapped at Hattiesburg after mill cut out.   1st 9   2-8-0   Baldwin   21962   4/1903   20x24   50   128000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Cost $11,450. Baldwin class 10-34 E 1665   Mississippi Central 1st #107, in 1904. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #18, Sumrall, MS, on 3/4/1916.   2nd 9   65-3 Shay   Lima   1555   10/1905   3-12x15   36   137000   New. Used at Sumrall.   Transferred to Hattiesburg mill, by 4/1929. Scrapped at Hattiesburg after mill cut out.   1st 10   50-3 Shay   Lima   745   12/1902   3-12x15   32   125000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Cost $8,500. Used at Hattiesburg.   Re. 2nd #2 in 1906.   2nd 10   50-3 Shay   Lima   1635   2/1906   3-12x12   32   125000   New. Used at Hattiesburg and Sumrall.   Scrapped in 1938.   1st 11   Rod                           Unknown owner, Chicago, IL. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 1st #11, on 5/2/1902. Cost $3,400.   Dropped or renumbered by 2/1906.   2nd 11   50-3 Shay   Lima   1636   2/1906   3-12x12   32   125000   New. Used at Hattiesburg.   Scrapped in 1938.   1st 12   2-8-0   A/Brooks   29527   2/1904   19x26   50   140000   New for Pearl & Leaf Rivers R.R. Cost $12,650.   Mississippi Central #105, on 2/13/1904.   2nd 12   65-3 Shay   Lima   1707   8/1906   3-12x15   36   128000   Lackawanna Lumber Co. #11, Cross Fork, PA J. J. Newman Lumber Co. 2nd #11, ca. 1907. Used at Hattiesburg.   Transferred as #11 to Sumrall operation.   14   50-3 Shay   Lima   656   6/1901   3-12½x12   32   100000                      Lackawanna Lumber Co. #8, Mina, PA Transferred to Cross Fork, PA J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #14,  in 7/1910. Cost $6,500. Used at Hattiesburg   New Lima boiler, dated 4/29/1927.   15   2-8-0   Baldwin   11990   6/1891   19x26   50   133850   Western New York & Pennsylvania #169 Pennsylvania R.R. #6295, in 1903. Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #659, on 5/4/1908. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #15, on 5/12/1909. Cost $6,500. Used at Sumrall. Baldwin class 10-32 E 7   Watson Gravel Co. #15, Fluker, LA Scrapped 5/1951.   16   2-6-0   Baldwin   7678   9/1885   18x24   50       Sinnemahoning Valley #1 F. H. Goodyear, Emporium, PA Buffalo & Susquehanna #101, in 9/1893. Lackawanna Lumber Co. #3, Cross Fork, PA, in 1895. J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #16, in 10/1910. Cost $3,000. Used at Hattiesburg and Sumrall. Baldwin class 8-30 D 203   Unknown.   17   70-3 Shay   Lima   2673   6/1913   3-12x15   36   140000   New. Used at Sumrall.   Scrapped at Hattiesburg, in 1936.   18   2-8-0   Baldwin   21962   4/1903   20x24   50   128000   Mississippi Central 1st #107 J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #18, on 3/4/1916. Used at Sumrall and Hattiesburg.   Homochitto Lumber Co. #18, Bude, MS   19   2-8-0   Baldwin   3841   3/1876   20x24   50   93600   Mississippi Central #106 J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #19   Mississippi Central #106 J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #21, Hattiesburg, MS, in 9/1924.   20   2-8-2   A/Brooks   63168   11/1921   20x28   56   177000   New. Cost $31,000. Used at Hattiesburg.   Mississippi Central #124, in 12/1935. Green Brothers Gravel Co. #124, Franklinton, LA, in 6/1953. Scrapped 9/1965.   21   2-8-0   Baldwin   3841   3/1876   20x24   50   93600   Mississippi Central #106, in 9/1924. Formerly J. J. Newman Lumber Co. #19   Unknown.

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For more information contact Tony Howe at howe6818@bellsouth.net or David S. Price at dsprice46@bellsouth.net