Rosa Lumber Co.

Standard gauge, 60-lb rail

Headquarters: Picayune, MS

Mill Locations: 1st mill-Rosa Spur, MS (Pearl River Co.)

2nd mill-Picayune, MS (Pearl River Co.)

Mill Capacity: 125,000 ft/day in 1922

Years of Operation: 1904-1926

Miles Operated: 39 miles in 1923

Locomotives Owned

Also see:

Goodyear Yellow Pine Co.

Pearl River Valley RR

Equipment:

 

Click Map for Larger Version

History by Gil Hoffman:

On December 3, 1904, E. F. Tate purchased the sawmill plant and timber holdings (amounting to about 3,420 acres) of Henry T. McGehee, in Hancock County, for $46,000. The McGehee sawmill was on the New Orleans & Northeastern Railroad just north of Picayune at Rosa (named for his wife). To operate this property, the Rosa Lumber Company was incorporated at Rosa Spur, Hancock County, on December 30, 1904, by E. F. Tate and O. L. Mitchell with authorized capital stock of $60,000. 

In October 1908 the sawmill plant and holdings were sold (or leased) to Eddins & Stockstill and operated under their name until August 1910 when the property reverted to E. F. Tate and assumed its original name, Rosa Lumber Company. At that time a new sawmill was either purchased or built in Picayune, near the site of the old mill of the Picayune Lumber Company.

Officers after 1910 were: E. F. Tate, president, and R. J. Williams, vice president. Williams bought a half interest in the company from Tate in July 1915. 

On February 21, 1917, Tate sold his interest in the company to R. J. Williams for $41,425.45. In May 1917 Williams sold the mill, lumber and timber holdings to L. O. Crosby and Lamont Rowlands, but the company continued to operate as the Rosa Lumber Company. In 1922 a double band mill with a cutting capacity of 125,000 feet per day was put into operation. On December 31, 1924, all the real estate of the company was sold to the Goodyear Yellow Pine Company in return for the latter company assuming all the debts of the Rosa Lumber Company. Finally, in January 1926 the Rosa Lumber Company was merged into the Goodyear Yellow Pine Company.

 

Rosa Lumber Co.'s American log loader at work.

Rosa Lumber Co. mill at Picayune in the 1920's.

Rosa Lumber Co. timber dock.

A Rosa Lumber Clyde skidder dragging logs to the rail spur.

The Rosa mill pond and machine shop.

 

 

A nice view of the Rosa mill with the machine shop in the foreground. Two out of service locomotives are visible in the photo.

ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:

Rosa Spur

 

Road No.

 

Type

 

Builder

 

C.N.

 

Date

 

Cyls.

 

Dri. Dia.

 

Engine

Wt.

 

Previous Ownership

 

Disposition

 

1

 

2-4-0T

 

Baldwin

 

12223

 

9/1891

 

12x18

 

38

 

40000

 

Eastman, Gardiner & Co. Nancy, Laurel, MS

Built as an 0-6-0T, rebuilt to 2-4-0T in 1894.

Salmen Brick & Lumber Co., Ltd., Slidell, LA,

by 7/1902.

Rosa Lumber Co. #1, by 6/1905.

Baldwin class 6-18 D 10

 

Transferred to Picayune mill in 1910.

 

2

 

0-4-2T

 

Porter

 

967

 

10/1888

 

9x14

 

33

 

28000

 

Desha Lumber & Planting Co. #1, Arkansas City, AR

Alliance Lumber & Manufacturing Co., Picayune, MS, by 4/1906.

D. C. Richardson-Taylor Lumber Co., Picayune, MS, on 10/14/1907.

Rosa Lumber Co. #2, by 1/1910.

 

Transferred to Picayune mill in 1910.

 

3

 

0-4-2T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unknown.

D. C. Richardson-Taylor Lumber Co. #3, Richardson, MS, by 6/1908.

Pearl Land & Lumber Co. #3, Richardson, MS,

on 9/29/1908.

Rosa Lumber Co. #3, in 1909.

 

Transferred to Picayune mill in 1910.

 

Picayune mill:

 

Road No.

 

Type

 

Builder

 

C.N.

 

Date

 

Cyls.

 

Dri. Dia.

 

Engine

Wt.

 

Previous Ownership

 

Disposition

 

1

 

2-4-0T

 

Baldwin

 

12223

 

9/1891

 

12x18

 

38

 

40000

 

Transferred from Rosa spur mill in 1910.

Baldwin class 6-18 D 10

 

Lacey Lumber Co. #5 Nancy, Carriere, MS,

by 1/1912.

W. B. Harbeson Lumber Co. Nancy, De Funiak Springs, FL, by 2/1922.

 

1st 2

 

0-4-2T

 

Porter

 

967

 

10/1888

 

9x14

 

33

 

28000

 

Transferred from Rosa spur mill in 1910.

 

Dropped by 1919.

 

2nd 2

 

50-2

Shay

 

Lima

 

2242

 

12/1909

 

3-11x12

 

32

 

100000

 

Bluestone Land & Lumber Co. #2, Gardner, WV

Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1332

U. S. Army General Engineer Depot (for 328th Labor Battalion, Pisgah Forest, NC), on 9/3/1918.

Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1434

General Equipment Co., McComb, MS,

on 6/25/1919.

Rosa Lumber Co. 2nd #2, ca. 1919.

 

Goodyear Yellow Pine Co. #2, Picayune, MS, in 1/1926.

 

1st 3

 

0-4-2T

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transferred from Rosa spur mill in 1910.

 

Repossessed by Sheriff of Pearl River County, MS, in 4/1911.

 

2nd 3

 

42-2

Shay

 

Lima

 

3040

 

7/1919

 

3-10x12

 

29½

 

84000

 

New. Cost $12,775.

Lettered “Goodyear Yellow Pine Company” but used by Rosa Lumber Co.

 

Britton Lumber Co. #7, Lakewood, FL,

by 9/1922.

 

1st 4

 

2-4-2T

 

Baldwin

 

10571

 

1/1890

 

12x18

 

48

 

50000

 

Birmingham, Powderly & Bessemer Street R.R. #1, Birmingham, AL

Dummy type.

Birmingham Railway & Electric Co., Birmingham, AL, in 11/1896.

Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co.

Poplarville Lumber Co. #3, Poplarville, MS, in 5/1905.

Lacey Lumber Co. #3, Carriere, MS,

by 7/1907.

Rosa Lumber Co. 1st #4, by 12/1914.

Baldwin class 8-18¼ C 21

 

Dropped by 1917.

 

2nd 4

 

36-2

Shay

 

Lima

 

2096

 

6/1908

 

3-10x10

 

28

 

72000

 

Lacey Lumber Co. #4, Carriere, MS

Rosa Lumber Co. 2nd #4, in 1917.

 

Goodyear Yellow Pine Co. #4, Picayune, MS

C. & R. Lumber Co. #4, Blodgett, MS,

in 6/1922.

Virgin Pine Lumber Co. #4, Piave, MS,

in 9/1924.

Scrapped 1933.

 

5

 

45-2

Shay

 

Lima

 

1750

 

10/1906

 

3-11x12

 

32

 

90000

 

C. A. Goodyear Lumber Co. #1, Tomah, WI

Rosa Lumber Co. #5

 

Goodyear Yellow Pine Co. #5, Picayune, MS, in 1/1926.

 

6

 

45-2

Shay

 

Lima

 

1919

 

4/1907

 

3-11x12

 

32

 

90000

 

C. A. Goodyear Lumber Co. #6, Tomah, WI

Rosa Lumber Co. #6

 

Goodyear Yellow Pine Co. #6, Picayune, MS, in 1/1926.

 

12

 

4-6-0

 

Rogers

 

2868

 

11/1881

 

18x24

 

56

 

 

 

East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia #78

Memphis & Charleston #342

Southern Ry. #678, in 1896.

Re. #1382 in 1903.

Re. #3392 in 1910.

L. C. Gunter, Contractor, in 7/1914.

H. J. Dunavant Co., Contractor

Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1341

Rosa Lumber Co. #12, ca. 1918.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     HOME                                              ABOUT  US                                              LINKS           

 

Hit Counter

 

For more information contact Tony Howe at howe6818@bellsouth.net or David S. Price at dsprice46@bellsouth.net