Sumter Lumber Co.

Standard gauge, 60-lb rail Headquarters: Chicago, IL Mill Location: Electric Mill, MS (Kemper County) Mill Capacity: 160,000 ft/day in 1917 Years of Operation: 1911-1941 Miles Operated:  Locomotives Owned:	Other Equipment: Purchased Clyde Iron Works 3-drum Skidder #222, shipped to Electric Mills, Miss. 3-12-1915. Purchased Clyde Iron Works McGiffert Loader #1017, shipped to Electric Mills, Miss. 1-13-1912. Purchased Clyde Iron Works McGiffert Loader #1018, shipped to Enondale, Miss. 1-19-1912. Purchased Clyde Iron Works 3-drum Skidder #278, shipped to Electric Mills, Miss. 1-12-1916.   See also: DeKalb & Western RR	Click Map for Larger Version
History by Gil Hoffman: The Sumter Lumber Company was incorporated in Alabama in 1900 and built a mill in Sumter County, Alabama, on the Alabama Great Southern Railroad. This mill was destroyed by fire in November 1910.  As the company's timber holdings in Alabama were largely cut out. a new plant was built at the old town site of Bodga, in Kemper County, Mississippi. Construction of this all-electric mill began in May 1911. The company also built the town of Electric Mills around the plant. At that time the company's timber holdings consisted of 165,000 acres of shortleaf pine in Kemper, Noxubee and Winston counties, Mississippi, and Sumter County, Alabama.  In the mid-1920's the mill was operating two shifts per day with a cutting capacity of 300,000 feet in 24 hours. The mill closed in the fall of 1941.
Aerial view of the Sumter Lumber Co. sawmill at Electric Mills looking north. The Mobile & Ohio Railroad runs diagonally on right and the town was mostly east of the railroad.		Sumter Lumber Co. No. 2 and engineer J. J. Patton circa 1938
Sumter Lumber Co. No. 3 on October 5, 1940.	Sumter Lumber Co. No. 5 at Electric Mills on October 5, 1940.	Early view of Sumter Lumber Co. American log loader on a long trestle.
Sumter Lumber Co. American Log Loader.		In the teen the company operated Clyde 4-line log skidders. By the 1930's the company realized the amount of damage being done by the skidders and discontinued their use.
Sumter Lumber Co. 2-8-0 Number 2 had come from Arkansas. It is pictured here at Electric Mills on Oct. 5, 1940.
Sumter Lumber Co. No. 2 and log train		2-6-0 No. 4 had also come from a logging railroad in Arkansas in the 1930's and later went to the DeKalb & Western RR, which was owned by Sumter Lumber Co.
Sumter Lumber Co. 2-6-0 Number 6 was an 1882-built Baldwin that came from the Mobile & Ohio RR. 503 was it's later number on the M&O, and it retained that number when the engine was sold to the Sanoody Valley RR and later DeKalb & Western RR. The engine was finally transferred to the lumber company and renumbered 6 to fit in with the Sumter Lumber Co. numbering. It is pictured here at Electric Mills in November 1940 after retirement.	Shay Number 7 at Electric Mills on October 5, 1940.	Sumter Lumber Co. mill at Electric Mills could cut 300,000 board feet per 24 hours. Photo from 1924.
Number 7 was a 50-ton 2-truck Shay.	Builder's photo of 1st Number 5, a Baldwin 2-6-2 in 1911. The engine was sold to Nicaragua by 1919.	Camp houses at the Sumter Lumber Co. logging camp in 1924.
The camp office and portable houses at the Sumter logging camp in 1924.
ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:      Road No. Type Builder C.N. Date Cyls. Dri. Dia. Engine Wt. Previous Ownership Disposition 1st 1 37-2 Shay Lima 1702 6/1906 3-10x12 29½ 74000 Sumter Lumber Co. #1, Sumter, AL Transferred to Electric Mills, MS, in 1911. Scrapped at Electric Mills, MS, in 3/1941. 2nd 1   2-6-2 A/Schen.   25623 4/1902 19x24 51 135960 Re. from #8. Scrapped prior to 1940. 1st 2 65-3 Shay Lima 2538 5/1912 3-12x12 32 130000 New. Henderson Land & Lumber Co. #2, Fox, AL Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. Swift-Hunter Lumber Co. #60, Atmore, AL, on 5/9/1924. Scrapped 1943. 2nd 2 2-8-0 Baldwin 53695 9/1920 19x24 48 126500 Re. from #15. Richton Investment Co. #2, Richton, MS, in 1942. Scrapped 1947. 1st 3 0-4-4F Baldwin 13048 11/1892 14x16 42 58000 Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit #42 Built as Vauclain compound. Ramapo Iron Works, Hillburn, NY, by 1/1905. Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. Sumter Lumber Co. #3, Sumter, AL, on 9/21/1910. Transferred to Electric Mills, MS, in 1911. Baldwin class 8-12/24⅓ C 52 Southern Iron & Equipment Co. #1104 Central Baguanos #1, Cuba, in 1916. 2nd 3 60-2 Shay Lima 2529 8/1912 3-12x12 36 120000 Croft Lumber Co. #3, Alexander, WV Birmingham Rail & Locomotive Co. Sumter Lumber Co. #3, on 12/5/1925. Fleming Gravel Co. #7, Columbus, MS, by 5/1943. Scrapped ca. 1955. 1st 4 42-2 Shay Lima 2886 10/1916 3-10x12 29½ 88000 New through Woodward, Wight & Co., Ltd. New Orleans, LA (dealer). Scrapped ca. 1942. 2nd 4 2-6-0 Baldwin 52709 12/1919 17x24 44 111000 Wisconsin & Arkansas Lumber Co. #10, Walco, AR Sumter Lumber Co. #4, by 1/1937. Baldwin class 8-28 D 320 De Kalb & Western #504, Electric Mills, MS, in 1941. 1st 5 2-6-2 Baldwin 37160 11/1911 15x24 44 92650 New. Cost $10,207. Baldwin class 10-24¼ D 90 F. C. del Pacifico de Nicaragua, Nicaragua, Central America, by 6/1919. 2nd 5 2-8-0 A/Schen. 40107 8/1906 19x26 51 140500 Texas Central #122 Missouri, Kansas & Texas #685 Hyman-Michaels Co., in 10/1924. Equitable Equipment Co., New Orleans, LA (dealer). Sumter Lumber Co. 2nd #5, ca. 1925. Gravel pit at Wackers, MS, in 1941. 6 2-6-0 Baldwin 6411 10/1882 18x24 54 80000 Mobile & Ohio #65 Re. #503 in 1910. Sanoody Valley #503, DeKalb, MS De Kalb & Western #503, on 3/31/1916. Sumter Lumber Co. #6 Baldwin class 8-30 D 93 Scrapped in 1941. 7 50-2 Shay Lima 2364 8/1910 3-11x12 32 100000 Berwind Lumber Co. #1, Berwind, WV Sumter Lumber Co. #7, by 1/1924. Scrapped at Electric Mills, MS, in 1941. 8 2-6-2 A/Schen.   25623 4/1902 19x24 51 135960 Colorado Springs & Cripple Creek District Ry. #104, Colorado Springs, CO Edward Hines Yellow Pine Trustees #104, Barth, MS Sumter Lumber Co. #8, after 1926. Re. 2nd #1. 15 2-8-0 Baldwin 53695 9/1920 19x24 48 126500 John L. Roper Lumber Co. #105, New Bern, NC Returned to Baldwin and resold to: Arkansas Land & Lumber Co. no #, Walco, AR, on 6/4/1921. Wisconsin & Arkansas Lumber Co. #15, Walco, AR, in 12/1924. Sumter Lumber Co. #15, by 9/1930. Baldwin class 10-32 E 173 Re. 2nd #2.

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