THE TIMBER INDUSTRY IN JACKSON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Robert Andrew McCall (Creator)
Institution
Western Carolina University (WCU )
Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to examine the timber industry in Jackson County, North Carolina. It is hoped that the study may also shed light on lumbering in the Appalachian region. By adapting Ronald D Eller's chronology for the economic development of the Appalachian South, the growth of local timber activities will be considered against the backdrop of the regional experience.This study surveys the early history of logging and sawmillinging the county, with special emphasis on the methods and equipment used. The first commercial firm to attempt serious utilization of Jackson County's resources was the Blue Ridge Lumber Company. An account of this company is offered as is one concerning the activities of the Blackwood Lumber Company. The Blackwood Lumber Company was representative of highly mechanized, large-scale commercial operations which developed within western North Carolina in the 1900s.The section dealing with the more recent period centers around Woody Clifton Hennessee and the Mead Corporation. Hennessee is representative of an independent Appalachian lumber entrepreneur,while the Mead Corporation is a major firm operating in the region,but with its headquarters elsewhere. Also, passing attention is given to the independent circular sawmill operators such as Quince Heddon.The thesis shows how the timber industry in Jackson County served as a vehicle for change from a subsistence agricultural society to a wage-oriented one. The timber industry in this county was not as exploitative as in other areas of Appalachia. It has exerted a positive influence here and will undoubtedly do so in the foreseeable future.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1984
Subjects
Lumber trade -- North Carolina -- Jackson County -- History
Logging -- North Carolina -- Jackson County -- History

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