ALGER-SULLIVAN

BACK INTIME

By DK Knight

Alger-Sullivan Lumber Co. built a memorable town and highly reputable business.

CENTURY, Fla. A s names of American towns go, the moniker Century is not comparatively unusual. Still, it’s interesting that no state but Florida lists a Century in its index of cities, towns or counties. Also interesting is the origin of the town, located in far northcentral Escambia County on the northwestern edge of the panhandle, and the organization that built, owned and controlled it for, well, more than a half a century. What is more interesting, and even more significant, is that while traces of the original mill are scant, many of the town’s original buildings, including the hotel, post office, churches and dwell - ings, remain intact.

This is a credit to the work of the AlgerSullivan Historical Society (algersullivan. org), which succeeded in getting the Al gerSullivan Lumber Co. Residential Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The district, located a short distance off U.S. Highway 29, encompasses approximately 23 acres and includes 45 buildings. (Except as noted, credit for all photos in this account goes to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society.)

HOW IT BEGAN

By the 1880s, wealthy businessmen Russell A. Alger (known as Gen. Alger) of Detroit, Mich. and Martin H. Sullivan Longleaf logs of the period were large, very dense and quite heavy— well suited for making long timbers. ( SLT photo) Prior to entering the mill, logs were stored in a pond, which help cleanse and preserve them.

of Pensacola, Fla. among other pursuits held significant lumber and/or timber interests—Alger in Michigan and Minnesota and Sullivan in Florida and Alabama.

An accomplished officer in the Union Army during the Civil War, Alger, who was orphaned at age 12, was the former governor of Michigan, served as Secretary of War for President William McKinley, and later was appointed and then elected a U.S. Senator in Michigan. During and following the war, Alger spent time in parts

of the South and was taken with the region’s splendid and abundant virgin longleaf pine forests.

Sullivan and his brother, Daniel, arrived in the Pensacola area in the 1870s and quickly added to their wealth by investing in various pursuits, including banking, shipping and real estate. Through Sullivan Timber Co. they accumulated at least 220,000 acres, most of which supported mature longleaf pine. Their holdings were located primarily in the south Alabama counties of Escambia, Baldwin, Conecuh and Monroe. (Florida’s Escambia County and Alabama’s Escambia County adjoin each other.) At the time, the Gulf Coast was brimming with lumber and turpentine activity. The brothers also operated small sawmills in the area, created the short line

Escambia Railroad, operated several miles of log ditches linked to rivers for log and timbers transportation to Pensacola Bay, and owned real estate and other property, including some Pensacola Bay wharves. In 1900 Alger and Martin Sullivan formed a syndicate, created The AlgerSullivan Lumber Co., and made plans for a big longleaf-centered sawmill and supporting village, finding an ideal site in 175 acres located a few miles south of the Alabama-Florida line town of Flomaton. Situated only a few miles from the Escambia River, which flows southward to Pensacola Bay, part of the property flanked the L&N Railroad. The founders viewed both as vital in getting lumber and timbers to domestic and export markets.

Investors included Alger, Martin Sullivan, Frank Hecker, C.L. Street, W.D. Mann, E.M. Vynne, John Millen and Edward Hauss.

One name considered for the town was Alger, but apparently Gen. Alger was not enamored with the idea. Instead, given the year and investors’ optimism over the promising venture, they chose Century for the name for their unincorporated settlement.

At least three important Alger-Sullivan Lumber Co. (ASLC) acquisitions took place in this time frame, including: 1) Foshee & Fuller Lumber Co.’s circle sawmill at nearby Foshee, Ala., which provided sawn materials for the new sawmill complex, a hotel to house construction workers, employee housing and other structures, and also generated income; 2) Sullivan Timber Co.’s timber assets (the price paid reportedly was $1 million); and 3) the all-important Escambia Railroad.

CONSTRUCTION

Edward Hauss, gifted with an acute organizational-management skillset and an eye for detail, but evidently having no lumber or logging experience, was brought in as superintendent of operations to spearhead the building of the mill and town. He was recommended for the job by fellow stockholder and uncle, Frank Hecker. At first Hauss operated out of Foshee, Ala. but soon relocated to Century, directing a group of some 300 craftsmen and laborers in a challenging effort that took more than a year. Road conditions were said to have been deplorable and the work ethic of some locals, particularly around holidays, was not up to Hauss’ expectations.

Stockholders chose Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. to design and erect the steam-operated plant. Alger himself specified twin 9 ft. bandmills and opted for the more efficient double cutting types that AllisChalmers had introduced a few years before. The saw bands had teeth on both edges so that they cut as the log carriage moved both forward and backward, resulting in greater efficiency and higher production. Beginning production in early 1902, the complex included 10 woodburning boilers that supplied steam to an enormous Corliss steam engine that turned a gigantic flywheel. In addition, the mill complex had two resaws, two edgers, shingle and lath works, log pond, drying yards, planer mill, storage areas, rail car loading facilities, engine roundhouse, maintenance shops and more.

The mill building measured 60x300 ft.; its estimated cost, $350,000. The facility evidently got off to a smooth start, reportedly producing almost 60MMBF in 1903. For much of its life the mill cut lots of timbers—12x12s, 14x14s and 16x16s up to 60 ft. long were common early on—and most of the heavyweight output was exported to Europe or the Mediterranean Region.

ASLC was said to have employed upwards of 500 at one time. Both in the mill and woods, laborers went at it from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., six days a week. Employees were paid in cash but could draw coupons, redeemable at the company store, against their pay.

By 1915 the village had a hotel, hospital, commissary, post office, executive club, business district, schools, churches and segregated housing districts for black

In addition to timbers, framing and finish stock, the ASLC sawmill turned out limited quantities of distinctive and expensive burly or curly paneling, taking advantage of the burled grain found in the heart of some mature longleaf. The grain was typically identified in only one log out of hundreds, making it quite rare. Logs with this characteristic were set aside until enough were collected to make a special run.

The curly or burled grain appeared holographic and three-dimensional and occurred most prominently at the interface of the heart and sap wood. It was a genetic anomaly and inherited trait within particular stands. A tree that contained curly heart was often described as being bumpy in appearance, and these tended to grow in groups.

At least two offices at Alger-Sullivan’s headquarters were eventually finished in curly paneling, as was the alter area in the Century United Methodist Church.

Today, small companies that specialize in heart pine made from salvaged longleaf timbers or old growth sinker logs still offer limited quantities of curly pine, albeit at a hefty price.

Still standing, the hotel had 30 rooms but only two baths.

This larger dwelling likely housed a supervisor’s family. ( SLT photo)

The commissary building as it appeared in the early 1900s

Even in the mid 1950s, ASLC’s lands continued to yield relatively large logs. The company was ahead of its time, requiring hardhats for woods workers. As well, it was a pioneer in converting to more efficient and productive treelength logging, adopting a trailer set-out system, using portable scales to control weight, and fitting its trucks with tachographs to record speed.

Edward Hauss, who served The Alger-Sullivan Lumber Co. in various capacities for decades and ended up as chairman of the board, loved the outdoors and was a significant benefactor to the Auburn University forestry program during his life. He established a forestry scholarship endowment in 1955 that is available to qualified students enrolled in AU’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences who are legal residents of Alabama or Florida. This program has helped hundreds of students since his death in 1963.

On June 4, 1957, Auburn University honored Hauss for his industry contributions to his industry by awarding him with an honorary doctorate.

In 1951 Hauss encouraged the company he led to donate 50 acres located near Atmore, Ala. to the Alabama Forestry Commission, which proceeded to establish a tree nursery on the property and named it after him. Today the facility consists of 400 acres and is the commission’s flagship nursery. Edward Hauss

and white families. Housing ranged from small “shotgun” dwellings to large executive types. Smaller houses rented to mill workers were painted gray and each had a gray picket fence to keep roaming animals at bay. In 1931 rent ranged from $8 to $12 a month. All housing was periodically inspected by designated company representatives and generally was well maintained, at least on the outside. The company even tually provided water, electricity and gar bage and sewer service to its employee tenants.

Even though Century in due course had a constable, there was very little crime, so few, if any, doors or fence gates were ever locked. (To learn more about life in the town, visit algersullivan.org.)

ASLC added a large theater and recreation hall in 1922. Decades later it was remodeled to become ASLC offices. The mill whistle, typically heard as one deep, long ‘w-h-e-e-o-o-o-o-o-o’ blast, served as the community clock, but a series of short blasts signaled fire. This is what locals heard in 1910 when flames destroyed the sawmill, which investors rebuilt basically as it was originally. The only other fire incident in ASLC history was in 1939 when the planer mill, some lumber and storage sheds, a few rail cars and part of the business district were destroyed.

Although located a mere 50 miles north of the coast, there is no record of hurricane-inflicted damage to the mill complex or town, but both were impacted somewhat by infrequent flooding.

Unlike many large lumber companies of the period, ASLC evidently encountered no problems with union-related labor unrest, nor did it promote itself regularly in trade journals with flashy advertisements. That evidently just wasn’t the style of Edward Hauss, who managed the company for decades. The pages of Southern Lumberman archives reveal that when the company did advertise, it did so in a modest manner.

Russell Alger died in 1907; Martin Sullivan in 1911. Neither ever resided in Century.

RAILROAD, CAMPS

The railroad the company bought early on was crucial to the sawmill in that it was a direct link to the thick longleaf stands and remote logging operations. At its zenith the railway stretched for about 100 miles north of Century.

Nucleus of ASLC’s logging operations was a place called Camp 8, which was basically a compound consisting of an office, dining hall, housing for young men, a repair shop, small commissary (supplied by train) and pens for chickens, cows and hogs. At the outskirts were quarters for married workers and their families. By the late ’30s or early ’40s, parts of Camp 8 benefitted from a gas-powered generator. “Camp cars” were built and set up similar to others of the day in the region but were said to have been more comfortable than those other area sawmill companies provided. Similar to box cars, the wooden structures were fitted with windows and were well-maintained. Mounted on wheels, they were strung to

gether, set on a rail siding, and were relocated from time to time by rail as timber cutting progressed.

Camp 8 was kept neat and orderly, thanks to an edict from Hauss and the hands-on efforts of the logging superintendent and his personnel. ASLC’s longest serving logging superintendent was “Captain” Luke Earle, who began working in logging camps at age 10 and joined the company soon after it was organized. Known for his salty tongue, he became logging “super” in 1922 and ruled his little kingdom with strict but fair discipline until he retired in 1945. His habit of cursing was offset by charming courtesy when he was in the company of women. He was a flamboyant type and kept a jukebox in his quarters that played country music at deafening volume. Earle and Hauss had lots of respect for one another and developed a special bond, so much so that Hauss gave orders that Luke could always see him immediately.

Once a year, stockholders, their wives and other special guests visited Century to tour the sawmill, town, and check out logging activity at Camp 8. Luke always saw to it that they were treated graciously and served a fine meal. Some workers at a remote logging camp pause for posterity.

Crosscut saws, axes and Peaveys were the typical tools of the day for felling, trimming and log maneuvering. In the early going, oxen and mules—the company reportedly owned hundreds of each—skidded logs to the railroad where they were lifted onto cars by steam-powered cable loaders. Eight-wheeled log wagons and “big wheel” carts were also likely in the mix at some point.

Later, steam-powered skidders were used to drag logs up to 1,000 yards to the railroad, but this practice was eventually stopped. While such mechanical skidding was productive, it was also very dangerous and quite destructive, essentially wiping out all small trees and deeply scarring the landscape.

BIG CHANGES

In the beginning, company officials reckoned its timber supply would last 15 to 20 years, but they altered course to expand this window by decades. ASLC slowed production at Century after a fast start and closed the mill at Foshee in the early 1920s, about the same time it purchased 30,000 additional acres of mature longleaf in Conecuh County, Ala.

Hauss ordered a change in logging practices, resorting to less destructive skidding methods, and instituted selective cutting. In the 1930s he went against lumbering’s conventional thinking and initiated a tree planting program and hired M.C. Leach as the company’s first land management

ASLC adopted larger crawler tractors for its in-woods operations.

forester. At the same time, Hauss ordered turpentine operations suspended on company lands and sold Conecuh Naval Stores, a subsidiary of ASLC. Also, the company strengthened efforts to reduce the chance of destructive wildfire, at one time purchasing fire plow-equipped Jeep pickups for select personnel and maintaining 2,000 miles of 10 ft. fire lanes.

Lean Great Depression years forced cutbacks in logging and mill activity. The rail road was shortened, the number of log trains reduced, and for the first time, there was no new rail construction. A few military surplus trucks were successfully introduced to supplement rail log transportation.

World War II also significantly impacted operations, as the prolonged conflict saw many personnel enter military service. Even though the War Manpower Commission encouraged ASLC and other companies to bring in Central American laborers to help fill the gaps, Hauss resisted, citing concerns about the foreigners’ inexperience and how they would mesh with the culture of the company and community. After the war, ASLC gradually abandoned the railroad, went totally to trucks, got rid of livestock, adopted crawler tractors and gas-powered cable loaders, and converted to chain saws. Even so, in 1946 it continued to employ about 120 men in its logging operations. However, that number was trimmed by some 50% over the next decade, as the company crews became much more efficient and productive. ASLC was a pioneer in converting to treelength skidding, loading and hauling and using a trailer set-out system, not to mention adopting larger crawler tractors and more reliable loaders and chain saws. It was also a pioneer in using portable scales and attaching tachographs on its trucks to monitor speed.

Another development that affected the company happened in 1945 with the creation of South Flomaton, an incorporated town located between Century and Flomaton, Ala. This happening began chipping away at ASLC’s traditional paternalistic control of the established community.

By all accounts, the “tern but fair” Edward Hauss, regarded as the “Great White Father” of Çentury, left a heavy footprint on the business and town and was given lots of credit in leading and guiding ASLC to a long, reputable, successful run. Known for human relations skills and for taking chances on people, he served as ‘town planner, judge in employee relations matters, mediator in arguments involving families and/or neighbors, and philanthropist.” He served as the company’s assistant secretary and treasurer, vice-president and treasurer, president and treasurer, and chairman of the board. ➤ 32

CHANGEOVER

In late 1956 ASLC stockholders, after reviewing a study “of the trend of the lumber business and of affairs in general,” (read obsolete sawmill and the rapid fading of the mill town era) voted to liquidate the company and sell all assets, then estimated worth $25 million. The company had 400 employees at the time, including Hauss, the last surviving member of the original group of organizers and a 57-year veteran with the company.

Early the next year the assets were sold to a syndicate made up of St. Regis Paper Co., International Paper Co., Scott Paper Co., Timber Products Co., and The Koppers Co. The syndicate retained the 227,000 acres involved in the transaction and promptly sold the sawmill, log and lumber inventories, logging equipment and the village of Century to two prominent independent lumbermen: Leon Clancy of Decatur, Ala. and Hobart Manley, Sr., of Savannah, Ga.

Clancy and Manley renamed the operation Alger-Sullivan Sawmill Co. (ASSC) and entered into a five-year contract (later extended to 10) to purchase substantial volumes of timber from the syndicate, which tapped veteran Alabama lumberman/politician G.R. Swift to oversee the contract in collaboration with M.C. Leach, ASLC’s forester who transferred to the new company. The new owners quickly moved with plans to electrify and modernize the sawmill to more efficiently handle smaller logs and streamline the entire process. This included the installation of a debarker and chipper.

About the time the 24-month renovation was completed, the mill was destroyed by a fire ignited by some last-minute welding. Unfazed, Clancy and Manley started over and in less than a year had a smaller plant going, only to be confronted with a late 1950s economic downturn that sent lumber prices lower.

But the business held on, among other things finding a new source of revenue by selling chips to the St. Regis paper mill in nearby Cantonment. Later, ALSC added gluing and fingerjointing equipment and began making heavy-duty rail car flooring. It later added a new planermill and installed a small wood treating operation.

In the early to mid ’60s, ALSC offered mill houses to employees for the prices as calculated by the local tax assessor’s office and sold off vacant residential lots. The company also donated land for a sewer plant, courthouse annex and baseball field.

ALSC’s performance attracted the attention of Tampa-based Jim Walter Corp., which acquired the Century operations in 1967. It relocated a door plant to Century in the early ’70s and gradually phased out all lumber manufacturing and wood treating operations. The door plant was eventually permanently shut.

Today the only sounds coming from the sawmill site, now surrounded by a rusting chain link fence, are those made by birds and animals, and the occasional creaking or flapping of a piece of loose tin on a sagging lumber shed.

No wood or building products plant currently operates in Century, which has a population of about 1,900.

Interestingly, the town of South Flomaton, incorporated in 1945, changed its name to Century in 1979. On April 22, 1980, the new, officially incorporated town of Century annexed the unincorporated village to the south originally founded as Century and both entities were united as one. TP This article previously appeared in South ern Loggin’ Times, an affiliate of Timber Processing.