Pennsylvania Lumber Incorporated (Ep24)
EPISODE 24: PENNSYLVANIA LUMBER, INCORPORATED. The previous episode took us to about 1870. Williamsport had become the lumber capital of the United States, but there were growing challenges to the lumbering industry. The eastern white pine forests of Pennsylvania were being depleted to the point that total forested land in the Commonwealth dropped to less than 70% – far below the 95% that William Penn first encountered in the late 17th century. There was also intense competition from the lumber industry in Michigan. North Central Pennsylvania’s forests were still full of hemlock, which was valuable because the bark was key to the leather tanning process, but the wood itself had few marketable uses, and the trees were deep in the mountain forests. These challenges were met with the invention of railway locomotives that could operate on steep, substandard tracks. These trains enabled the creation of logging railroads able to reach into even the most remote regions in Pennsylvania. In addition, adoption of the round nail and new framing techniques made hemlock board more useful in construction. Harvesting hemlock led to further economic development throughout North Central Pennsylvania and the opening of major sawmills in towns far from Williamsport, such as those in Austin and Galeton. Two large, vertically integrated companies emerged to dominate this trade – Goodyear Lumber and Central Pennsylvania Lumber (CPL). Decades later, in 1931, the eastern hemlock was named Pennsylvania’s State Tree.
Timestamps for major events/discussions
[02:58] – Williamsport suffers three blows to its economic prosperity
[05:49] – The advent of logging railroads
[10:02] – The eastern hemlock tree becomes more valuable
[14:27] – The workings of tanneries
[18:33] – The Goodyear Lumber Company
[22:31] – The founding and growth of Austin, PA
[28:18] – Galeton, PA – a jewel in the Goodyear Lumber Company’s crown
[31:51] – Central Pennsylvania Lumber
[37:52] – No plan for the future
[43:10] – Places to visit
Books to read
• Lumbering Pennsylvania – Volume I and II by Thomas T. Taber III, reprinted in 2022 by the Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania.
Places to visit mentioned in or that inspired this episode
• Pennsylvania Lumber Museum – on Route 6 in Ulysses, PA, between Coudersport and Galeton. This is a fantastic museum – fun, exciting, immersive. They have lots of period lumbering outbuildings and equipment. Click here for Museum’s website.
• Austin Dam Memorial Park, where you can see the large concrete remnants of the Austin Dam that failed in 1911, and a marker dedicated to Cora Brooks. Click here for more information.
• Galeton, Pennsylvania, which has a really amazing view as you drive through town on Route 6. Click here for more information about touring Galeton and here for my quick video post on Instagram.
Calls to action
• Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod
• Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website
• Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com
