East Waterford Lumber Company
Encyclopedia
The East Waterford Lumber Company was an early 20th century company which leased and harvested timberland
in Juniata
and Perry County, Pennsylvania
.
The company was organized by Daniel Buck of Bellefonte
, James Hockenberry of East Waterford
, and a third partner, named Brown, about 1905. The company built a sawmill, two stave mills, and a lath mill in East Waterford. This town was served by the narrow gauge
Tuscarora Valley Railroad
, which provided an outlet for finished lumber from the mills. The additional cost of transfer between the Tuscarora Valley and the standard gauge
Pennsylvania Railroad
forced the lumber company to specialize in finished lumber, rather than lower-margin mine props.
To bring timber to the mills, the company planned a logging railroad from a connection with the Tuscarora Valley at East Waterford toward its timberlands. The railroad was incorporated on May 16, 1905 as the East Waterford and Kansas Valley Railroad, and it acquired the rails and Climax locomotive
of the Perry Lumber Company, which was then being dismantled.
The railroad was built using a 3 feet (914.4 mm) gauge, the same as the connecting Tuscarora Valley. The line ran south from the interchange at East Waterford and the mills along Horse Valley Road, following the road through Waterford Gap in Tuscarora Mountain
. Past the mountain, it forked, with one branch running up Kansas Valley to the company's lumber camp at Big Knob, and the other running south along Horse Valley. The total length was less than 8 miles (12.9 km).
On April 1, 1907, Brown was bought out by Cummings McNitt, formerly a partner of the logging operation McNitt Bros. & Co. McNitt gradually purchased the interests of Buck and Hockenberry as logging progressed, and was sole owner when the company was wound up after exhaustion of the timber. McNitt entered into partnership with H.C. Hower, the lumber broker who disposed of much of the timber shipped over the Tuscarora Valley Railroad, and they formed the Juniata Lumber Company to log a tract in Maryland. The Climax locomotive was sold to the new company and the railroad was dismantled in 1909.
The line up Kansas Valley and a small part of the line in Horse Valley now lies within the boundaries of Tuscarora State Forest
.
Timberland
Timberland or variants thereof may refer to:*Timberland, Lincolnshire, a village in Lincolnshire, England*The Timberland Company, manufacturer of outdoor wear*Timberland , a German board game*Timberland Regional Library, a public library system...
in Juniata
Juniata County, Pennsylvania
Juniata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 24,636. Juniata County was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata River. Its county seat is Mifflintown....
and Perry County, Pennsylvania
Perry County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,602 people, 16,695 households, and 12,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile . There were 18,941 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
.
The company was organized by Daniel Buck of Bellefonte
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, James Hockenberry of East Waterford
East Waterford, Pennsylvania
East Waterford is a census-designated place that is part of Tuscarora Township in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 185 at the 2000 census.-Geography:East Waterford is located at ....
, and a third partner, named Brown, about 1905. The company built a sawmill, two stave mills, and a lath mill in East Waterford. This town was served by the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
Tuscarora Valley Railroad
Tuscarora Valley Railroad
The Tuscarora Valley Railroad was a narrow gauge shortline that operated in central Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1934.-Construction and plans for extension:...
, which provided an outlet for finished lumber from the mills. The additional cost of transfer between the Tuscarora Valley and the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
forced the lumber company to specialize in finished lumber, rather than lower-margin mine props.
To bring timber to the mills, the company planned a logging railroad from a connection with the Tuscarora Valley at East Waterford toward its timberlands. The railroad was incorporated on May 16, 1905 as the East Waterford and Kansas Valley Railroad, and it acquired the rails and Climax locomotive
Climax locomotive
A Climax locomotive is a type of geared steam locomotive in which the two steam cylinders were attached to a transmission located under the center of the boiler. This transmits power to driveshafts running to the front and rear trucks....
of the Perry Lumber Company, which was then being dismantled.
The railroad was built using a 3 feet (914.4 mm) gauge, the same as the connecting Tuscarora Valley. The line ran south from the interchange at East Waterford and the mills along Horse Valley Road, following the road through Waterford Gap in Tuscarora Mountain
Tuscarora Mountain
Tuscoarora Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in the Ridge and Valley province in central Pennsylvania. It reaches its highest point on Big Mountain at 2,458 feet above sea level....
. Past the mountain, it forked, with one branch running up Kansas Valley to the company's lumber camp at Big Knob, and the other running south along Horse Valley. The total length was less than 8 miles (12.9 km).
On April 1, 1907, Brown was bought out by Cummings McNitt, formerly a partner of the logging operation McNitt Bros. & Co. McNitt gradually purchased the interests of Buck and Hockenberry as logging progressed, and was sole owner when the company was wound up after exhaustion of the timber. McNitt entered into partnership with H.C. Hower, the lumber broker who disposed of much of the timber shipped over the Tuscarora Valley Railroad, and they formed the Juniata Lumber Company to log a tract in Maryland. The Climax locomotive was sold to the new company and the railroad was dismantled in 1909.
The line up Kansas Valley and a small part of the line in Horse Valley now lies within the boundaries of Tuscarora State Forest
Tuscarora State Forest
Tuscarora State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #3. The main office is located in Blain in Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
.