The Bradford County Heritage Association is pleased to present a series of articles researched and prepared by Dave Lennington highlighting Bradford County’s lumber and related industries.
The ‘Heritage Village and Museum is open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 9 AM to 4 PM, Sundays 1PM to 4 PM.
The Pennsylvania Heritage will be held September 19 & 20, 2015 on the grounds of The Heritage Village & Museum, Troy PA. A cooperative effort of the Bradford County Heritage Association and the Troy Rotary Club. This year the event will highlight the Museum’s 2015 Timber Theme.
Larimer & Norton - Troy, PA Larimer & Norton’s dimensional lumber plant in Troy was built in 1955. The Troy plant is one of three Larimer & Norton locations that are the exclusive suppliers of billets for Louisville Slugger baseball bats. The billets are made primarily from ash. Most of the ash trees come from northern Pennsylvania or New York State. “From the Troy mill the billets” are shipped to Larimer & Norton mills in Galeton and Russell, Pennsylvania, “where they are kiln dried,” and “trimmed and graded again”1 Then they are shipped to Louisville, Kentucky, to be made into Louisville Slugger Bats. W. W. Gleckner & Sons Co. - Canton, PA In 1879 William Gleckner “started a small harness shop”1 in Canton. Later his sons joined him in the business. W. W. Gleckner & Sons Co. was a manufacturer of leather related goods for the horse industry.2 Gleckner harnesses were cut from “selected steer hides” that had been oak tanned.2 High speed “lockstitch sewing machines were used” to manufacture Gleckner harnesses.2 The Gleckner catalog included harnesses, collars, strap work, and saddlery.2 The company had stores in Towanda and Canton, that “sold at wholesale and retail….”1 In 1997 the former Gleckner plant was renovated and restructured into office and retail space. The building, owned by John Brown, contains Arnot Health, Brown’s Pharmacy, Guthrie Clinic, Head Start, Southwestern Energy, and Subway. | Crawford Brothers Mill - Canton, PA Hugh Crawford built the saw mill in 1885. It was one of the “two largest lumber operations” in the Canton area. “At one time” Crawford Brothers also “had three portable mills….” “One winter” Crawford Brothers “had 31 teams” of horses transporting “logs to the mill.” By 1950 “the logs were “all hauled by motor trucks from points as far as 35 miles away." In 1950 ash lumber from Canton was “used to make wooden slats for snow sleds and in” the “construction of airplanes. Maple” was “used in shipbuilding; cherry for inside trim for houses and beech, cherry and maple in construction of furniture. Much hardwood” was “used locally in the Belmar plant” for “pant and coat hangers. Lewis Brothers - LeRoy, PA - Postmark 1908 The offices for Lewis Brothers were in the Lewis House hotel pictured above. They “had mills at various places at various times on LeRoy mountain.”1 Lewis Brothers supplied the lumber for the large sawmill, constructed at Laquin. They also supplied bark to the Greenwood Tannery in Powell. Belmar Manufacturing Co. Canton, PA | Oak Hill Veneer d/b/a Channel Veneers USA - Troy, PA Oak Hill Veneer was formed in 1985. The company was purchased from Lee Cummings in 2008 and is owned by Grupo Losán1, a “veneered board manufacturer,”2 based in Spain. Clipped, unfinished veneer with no splicing or backing is produced from red oak, white oak, American cherry, black walnut, ash, hard maple, hickory, and poplar. The following equipment is utilized in the manufacturing process. • Vertical Slicer and Staylog Slicer for slicing. • Angelo Cremona Dryers for the drying process. • Angelo Cremona Clippers used in the clipping process. Oak Hill Veneer employs 57 and exports approximately 90-95% of the unfinished veneer to many different countries. L.W. Cummings & Sons Lumber Company was founded in Troy in 1929 by Lee Cummings. The mill was "built close to the road and stream," because there was no electricity in Troy at that time. Steam engines were used for power. LeRoy Independent Baptist Church Interior Wainscoting (milled locally) was installed in an 1898 renovation. |
Belmar Manufacturing Co. was founded by L. M. Marble in 1897. He created the name “by scrambling the letters of his last name.”1 Belmar “was one of the earliest companies to be incorporated for the manufacture of coat hangers.”1
“In 1926, Mr. Marble added the Liberty Greeting Card Co. to his other activities, and this was operated in connection with the Belmar Mfg. Co. until 1934.” “Starting with five employees in 1898, the Belmar at one time during the height of the Liberty Card business, employed 350….” In 1950 Belmar had 110 employees.
“Lumber from the company’s sawmills was kiln dried and then cut to proper lengths.”1 “Strips of cherry, beech and maple”1 began “to take the form of hangers at the ‘shaper,’ a cutting tool that”1 smoothed “the contours and trimmed the edges.”1 “After being shaped, the hangers” were either varnished, waxed or enameled.”1
There were “nearly 50 styles of coat, dress and trouser hangers.”1 The company made “10 to 12 million hangers a year”1 and sold to variety chains throughout the United States.