The timber industry in Jackson County, North Carolina

The timber industry in Jackson County, North Carolina

McCall, Robert Andrew

1984

Williams, Max R.

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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 sawmilling in 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.

2016-10-07

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