Leesville in Vernon Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)
The Nona Mills Lumber Company
Photographed By Lee Hattabaugh, November 17, 2010
1. The Nona Mills Lumber Company Marker
Inscription.
The Nona Mills Lumber Company. . Organized in 1898, the Nona Mills Lumber Company of Nona, Texas established a saw mill at Leesville in 1899. Company officers were Pres. F.L. Carroll, Vice Pres. G.R. Ferguson, Sec. Treas. J.N. Gilbert, and Asst. Treas. L.B. Pikin. Serviced by its own 22 mile-long standard gauge tram railroad, the mill daily produced 100,000 board feet of lumber. By 1904 the mill was shipping 22,000,000 feet of lumber and had 5,000,000 feet in reserve. Nona Mills was the single greatest contributor to Leesville's lumber based economy. It was progressive in its hiring practices and support to the local community. It had a workforce of 370 loggers and mill hands supported by a monthly payroll of $15,000. In 1905 the company hired Miss Bird Smith as stenographer and Mrs. R.A. Davis as bookkeeper-cashier making it one of the first saw mills in the South to hire women in important positions. It assisted Leesville with a public waterworks, a public swimming pool, ice plant, fire department, brass band, and baseball team, "The Leesville White Sox of the Yellow Pine Sawmill League". After a disastrous 1907 fire Nona Mills donated to the town a new fire station and equipment. Truly a major benefactor of Leesville's growth and success.
Organized in 1898, the Nona Mills Lumber Company of Nona, Texas established a saw mill at Leesville in 1899. Company officers were Pres. F.L. Carroll, Vice Pres. G.R. Ferguson, Sec. Treas. J.N. Gilbert, and Asst. Treas. L.B. Pikin. Serviced by its own 22 mile-long standard gauge tram railroad, the mill daily produced 100,000 board feet of lumber. By 1904 the mill was shipping 22,000,000 feet of lumber and had 5,000,000 feet in reserve. Nona Mills was the single greatest contributor to Leesville's lumber based economy. It was progressive in its hiring practices and support to the local community. It had a workforce of 370 loggers and mill hands supported by a monthly payroll of $15,000. In 1905 the company hired Miss Bird Smith as stenographer and Mrs. R.A. Davis as bookkeeper-cashier making it one of the first saw mills in the South to hire women in important positions. It assisted Leesville with a public waterworks, a public swimming pool, ice plant, fire department, brass band, and baseball team, "The Leesville White Sox of the Yellow Pine Sawmill League". After a disastrous 1907 fire Nona Mills donated to the town a new fire station and equipment. Truly a major benefactor of Leesville's growth and success.
Erected 2002 by CLECO and the Vernon Parish Tourism Commission.
Location. 31° 8.758′ N, 93° 15.57′ W. Marker is in Leesville, Louisiana, in Vernon Parish. Marker is at the intersection of Mechanic Street and North 1st Street, on the left when traveling east on Mechanic Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leesville LA 71446, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2010, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,095 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2010, by Lee Hattabaugh of Capshaw, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
