Meehan-Rounds Lumber Co. (1902-1905)
Cotton State Lumber Co. (1905-1919)
Tallahatta Railroad (1902-1919)
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Standard gauge, 45 to 60-lb rail Headquarters: Williamsport, Pa. Mill Location: Meehan Junction, MS (Lauderdale County) Mill Capacity: 150,000 ft/day in 1910 Years of Operation: 1902-1919 Miles Operated: 28 miles in 1910 Locomotives Owned: 5 |
Equipment: 4 locomotives, 80 cars, 2 American loaders in 1910 4 locomotives, 68 cars in 1915
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Click Map for Larger Version Google Earth Map HERE |
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History by Gil Hoffman: The
Meehan-Rounds Lumber Company was incorporated in Lauderdale County on July
15, 1902 by James Meehan, S. K. Rounds, R. W. Meehan, Patrick Meehan and
William M. Hall with authorized capital stock of $75,000.
On July 28, 1903 the capital stock was increased to $120,000. The Tallahatta Railroad was chartered in Mississippi on July 7, 1902 and was originally projected to run from Meehan Junction, on the Alabama & Vicksburg, to Philadelphia, MS, about 35 miles. It was completed from Meehan Junction to Days Mills, MS, 10 miles, in January 1903. The
Cotton State Lumber Company was incorporated in Lauderdale County on June
22, 1905 by John W. Flynn, G. Q. Hall, William M. Hall and Gabe Jacobson
with authorized capital stock of $1,000,000. On May 13, 1905 the company
bought the sawmill and railroad of the Meehan-Rounds Lumber Company at
Meehan Junction, Lauderdale County. The
Cotton State sawmill cut out in early 1919. At that time the company was
operating a double band mill with a cutting capacity of 130,000 feet per
day. In June 1919 the company sold 26,000 acres of cut-over land, including
the townsite of Meehan Junction, to J. F. Craig, a cotton planter from
Indianola, Miss. The
railroad purchased from the Meehan-Rounds Lumber Company in 1905 was known
as the "Tallahatta Railroad." In 1907 the line was extended to
Battlefield, Miss., 20 miles. The railroad was abandoned in early 1919 when
the mill at Meehan Junction cut out. |
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For more information contact Tony Howe at howe6818@bellsouth.net or David S. Price at dsprice46@bellsouth.net