Valley Girl Views: LCITCW 1937 - Introduction, The Lumber Industry

Lycoming County In The Civil War

Introduction

Economic Conditions In The County

[Specifically, The Lumber Industry]

Taken from a 1934 Thesis written by Edward Larue Pierce
For The Pennsylvania State College Graduate School

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West Branch Iron Works, Williamsport

From an 1861 Map

At the start of the civil war we finally Lycoming county economically prosperous, but, this prosperity was of recent origin. There had been little development down to the year 1838. After clearing their farms and buildings their homes, the people had, for the most part, devoted themselves to the cultivation of the soil. A few coal mines had been opened and iron ore in considerable quantities was mined in different sections, but agriculture was the principal industry.

Then the people began to realize the fact that they were surrounded by wealth in the form of the timber that covered the county. Down to 1838 only enough timber had been cut to build homes and necessary structures, but no attempt had been made to commercialize its manufacture. After the initial impetus had been given, the industry spread over the entire county until the life of almost every individual therein was concerned in the lumbering in some way.

Small mills had been built before 1838 but their output was principal Are localized. The “Big Water mill”, built at Williamsport in 1838, was the pioneer in the manufacture of lumber on a large scale, for the purpose of shipping its products to outside markets. Other mills were quickly erected within the next few years.

There are five large creeks that flow into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River either on the border of or within the county. These are pine, Larry’s, Lycoming, Loyalsock, and Muncie. On the mountains along these streams were large tracts of the finest pine and hemlock timber to be found anywhere.

After the owners of the big water mill set the example, timber cutting was started in the very large tributary of the river. Farmers prospered by adding lumbering to their farm work period at first most of the mills were run by water power, but it was not long until it was discovered that sawdust could be used as a fuel and then steam power was primarily used.

At the height of the lumber and It is estimated that as much as 75 sawmills including those in Williamsport, were in operation in Lycoming County, the yearly output of which was nearly 400,000,000 feet of solid lumber. In addition it is impossible to estimate the amount of timber which was made-up in the form of rafts and floated down the small streams.

The lumber industry was in full swing by 1860. Mills were run night and day in order to Saul up the accumulation of logs before cold weather set in, and this rush was kept up until the last log was sawed.

In Williamsport alone there were 25 mills at the height of the industry, employing 2000 men, at good wages, eight months a year, with an output of 300,000,000 feet of lumber a year, valued at $7,000,000, with a capital investment of $9,000,000.

The whole economic life of the county during this. Centered around the lumber industry. Williamsport was not only the leading lumber city of the county and state, but the leader in the entire world. It is true that there were other industries in the county at the time, but they were subsidiary to the lumber industry itself; examples are the rope factory and the factories that manufactured saws, handles and other tools used in lumbering.

The population of the county in 1840 was 22,649 and increased slightly by 1850 to 26,257. But when the lumber industry got into full swing, by 1860, the population had increased to 37,399, and continued its rapid increase during the civil war.

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