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Home » The County » R. K. Hollifield » Chapter Five
Memories & Events of a Half Century by R. K. Hollifield

Chapter Five

Nov. 24, 1938

Fifty years ago there were no railroads in this county, so there was no market for lumber or cordwood. The farmers would cut the timber off their land and pile it up and burn it. They would have log rollings and invite all the neighbors to attend and help pile up the logs. I have seen saw logs piled up that would have produced two hundred feet of lumber, and logs without a knot in them. Sometime they would put hand sticks under a big log that would require ten men to carry. There were thousands and thousand of feet of the finest saw timber burned up in this way before there was any market for it. I remember the first steam saw mill that came into the community. The people came from miles around to see it. It was as great a sight to the people then as automobiles were when they first came into this county.

The farmers would cut the timber off their land and pile it up and burn it.

After the railroads were built into the county saw mills were moved in and they began to cut and saw the timber and ship the lumber. There was a fine body of excellent timber between Bostic station and Washburn’s store, and M. L. and J. L. Clemmer of Mt. Holly bought a large boundary of this timber at 12 1/2¢ and 15¢ per tree. Many of these trees made from 500 to 1,000 feet of lumber when sawed. They sawed this timber and delivered a lot of the timber in Charlotte for five and six dollars per thousand feet. They paid about $1.50 a day for a wagon and team for hauling and fifty cents a day for labor to work around the mill. They did most all of the logging of their mills with a yoke of Oxen.

Uncle Reuben Washburn lived about three miles north of Bostic station. He was a very successful merchant and done a strictly cash business. He married a Miss Crowder and they reared a family of nine children. Seven of them are still living. They were members of Salem Methodist church and were faithful members in the support of the church. I believe Uncle Reuben was a local preacher. He was a very conscientious man and always wanted to be sure he was right in his dealings, and did not want to wrong anyone.

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  • Introduction
  • About the Author
  • Keep a Diary
  • The County in 1884
  • Chapters 1 – 10
    • Chapter 1
    • Chapter 2
    • Chapter 3
    • Chapter 4
    • Chapter 5
    • Chapter 6
    • Chapter 7
    • Chapter 8
    • Chapter 9
    • Chapter 10
  • Chapters 11 – 20
    • Chapter 11
    • Chapter 12
    • Chapter 13
    • Chapter 14
    • Chapter 15
    • Chapter 16
    • Chapter 17
    • Chapter 18
    • Chapter 19
    • Chapter 20
  • Chapters 21 – 30
    • Chapter 21
    • Chapter 22
    • Chapter 23
    • Chapter 24
    • Chapter 25
    • Chapter 26
    • Chapter 27
    • Chapter 28
    • Chapter 29
  • Chapters 31 – 40
    • Chapter 31
    • Chapter 32
    • Chapter 33
    • Chapter 34
    • Chapter 35
    • Chapter 36
    • Chapter 37
    • Chapter 38
    • Chapter 39
    • Chapter 40
  • Chapters 41 – 47
    • Chapter 41
    • Chapter 42
    • Chapter 43
    • Chapter 44
    • Chapter 45
    • Chapter 46
    • Chapter 47

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