D. B. Fox 1917-1931
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Standard gauge, 30 and 35-lb rail Headquarters: Mill Location: Fox, MS (Jones County) 1902-1917 Alene, MS (Jones County) 1917-1931 Mill Capacity: 35,000 ft/day Years of Operation: 1902-1917 at Fox; 1917-1931 at Alene Miles Operated: 4 miles Locomotives Owned: 2 |
Equipment:
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History by Gil Hoffman: David Burney Fox was born November 11, 1865 at Louisville, MS. He entered the business world in 1885 as the junior member of the firm of Gaston & Fox, at Enterprise, MS He subsequently spent six years at State Line, MS with Cragin & Nobles and was later in the lumber business at Yellow Pine, AL. In 1902 Fox returned to Mississippi and formed a partnership with R. B. Gunn, at Fox, Jones County (near Ovett) under the name Gunn & Fox. In October 1902, 600 acres of timber, including a mill site, was purchased about two miles west of Ovett. Machinery for a new Wheland circular mill was purchased in December 1903 and the mill constructed in early 1904. On September 3, 1906 Fox bought the interest of Gunn for $7,500 and continued the operation under his own name. By December 1911 a standard gauge logging railroad had been built. In September 1914 the mill was closed down because of a shortage of timber, but was reopened in early 1916 and the logging railroad rebuilt. This mill had a cutting capacity of 35,000 feet per day. In late 1917 the mill at Fox was dismantled and moved to Alene, on the New Orleans & Northeastern Railroad, about three miles north of Moselle. The mill at Alene was of the circular type and had a cutting capacity of 50,000 feet per day. In 1930 Fox established another sawmill at Fountain, Alabama. The mill at Alene operated continuously from 1918 until Fox's death on September 4, 1931.
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| ROSTER by Gil Hoffman: 1 2T Shay Lima 1846 2-1907 26 2-7x12 39000 Transferred from Ovett, MS, in 1918. Gone by 1930.
2nd 1 2T Shay Lima 1814 5-1907 29½ 3-10x12 74000 Purchased from Bentley & Emery #1, Ovett, MS, in 8-1930. Built as C. S. Bentley #1, Richton, MS; to Bentley & Emery #1, Richton, MS, in 1909, transferred to Ovett, MS, in 1918.
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For more information contact Tony Howe at tonyhowe76@yahoo.com or David S. Price at dsprice46@bellsouth.net