Sawmills Build Communities

Sawmills Build Communities. . After the conclusion of the Civil War, an influx of pioneers moved to the wilds of central Florida to farm and raise cattle. Kissimmee City began as a trading post, and Shingle was the location of an area post office and shingle mill. The early settlers sawed all the wood needed for their homes and other farming structures by hand. Families formed small communities, and as the area's population grew, sawmills were established to supply lumber to residents and businesses., The mills employed many men, who operated large steam-driven saws and planers. Using the area's major trees - cedar, cypress, and pine - they made timber and posts for buildings, shingles for roofs, laths, boards and battens for siding, planks for flooring, and slats for citrus crates. Huge trees were cut into uniform sizes, often with a rough cut for exterior walls or planed smooth for floors or furniture wood., “About this time the sawmill was moved to the center of the settlement, stores began to spring up.” Fell and Davidson Prospectus, A Pile for Progress , In the early days of the county, there seemed to be an inexhaustible source of wood. For nearly a half-century, sawmills through the county harvested pine, cypress, and other hardwoods relentlessly. Clearings made way for agriculture, community development. and open ranch land. Some small towns were created temporarily until the logging was complete and the loggers moved on. Towns like Holopaw, once booming, were left with vacant homes, treeless landscapes, and remnants of old railroad tracks leading out of town. Some areas have recovered due to progressive work by the water management districts and the county’s natural resource administrators., 19th Century Steam Power , The Fell and Davidson sawmill was originally located on two acres of land in Narcoossee,and it had all the equipment needed to produce building lumber. In early 1885, they moved the mill to take advantage of the dropping water levels in East Lake Tohopekaliga. The sawmill was outfitted with steam-driven equipment including one 15-horsepower saw mill, a planer and matcher, as well as circular, cutoff, and bench saws. A nearby water tower fed the boilers, which when heated, created steam and pressure to drive the machinery., (captions) , Sawmill Workers circa 1909 , Left to right: Charles W. Miner, Unidentified, and Henry W. Dale , lumberyard owner. Photo Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society, Mountain Sawdust Narcoossee Fla 1924, Osceola County Sawmill circa 1900s , The 1887 business directory Orange County Gazetteer listed 40 sawmills. Some were located in Osceola County, which was established in 1887 from parts of southern Orange and northern Brevard counties. The 1887 Narcoossee Directory only listed the Fell and Davidson sawmill. Photo Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society, Fell and Davidson Sawmill and Drying Yard, circa 1900s , Even though their sawmill did not produce citrus crates, Fell and Davidson were also listed as Orange Growers in the 1890s. It could be assumed that some of the businesses were seasonal, and companies, much like today, diversified their interests to adapt to changing economies. Photo Courtesy Osceola County Historical Society