West Virginia’s Lumber Legend: The Journey of Jack Huffman, Sr.
WATOGA, WV – In a gripping personal account titled "Memories of Lumbering," local figure Jack Huffman, Sr. has detailed a life defined by the rhythmic roar of sawmills and the rugged terrain of the Appalachian timber industry. From the floating log rafts of the Guyandotte River in 1903 to the battlefields of France, Huffman’s narrative serves as a living map of West Virginia’s industrial soul.
From Dust to Discipline
Huffman’s career began in the foothills of Lincoln County at the age of ten, where he "wheeled sawdust" for a mere 25 cents a day. His childhood was a nomadic one, following his father through various timber contracts across Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties. By 1912, Huffman had finished his final five months of schooling and committed fully to the mill life, taking a job at the Warren Lumber Company for $1.25 per day.
The Call of Duty
The narrative takes a dramatic turn in 1917. While working as a lumber inspector at Deer Creek, Huffman joined the U.S. Army’s 20th Engineers Forestry Division. His expertise was deployed to Chenonceaux, France, where he and a crew of "experienced lumbermen" supplied the Allied Armies with critical bridges, railroad ties, and trench timbers.
Huffman recalls the poignant moment of the 1918 Armistice, when the mill whistle was tied down for five minutes to celebrate the end of the war with the French people.
A Legacy in High-Grade Timber
Returning to the States, Huffman briefly traded the sawmill for the office, earning a diploma from Massey Business College and working as a bookkeeper in Durbin. However, the pull of the timber was too strong. "I soon came to the conclusion that lumbering and not office work was my best bet," Huffman wrote.
His expertise eventually took him to Tennessee, where he managed millions of feet of high-grade export lumber. It was during this time that he married his longtime sweetheart, Edith Bennett, on August 16, 1922—a union that would eventually see the birth of their son, Charles, in 1923.
Today, Huffman’s memories stand as a testament to an era when West Virginia’s "Yellow Poplar and White Oak" built the world, and the men who cut them were forged in the very forests they harvested.
Infographic: The Huffman Logging Timeline (1903–1923)
1903 (Lincoln County): First memories of logs being rafted down the Guyandotte River.
1906 (Leet, WV): At age 10, Jack gets his first job wheeling sawdust for 25 cents.
1908 (Watoga, WV): The family moves to Pocahontas County; Jack begins carrying water on the mill yard.
1912 (Seebert, WV): Last year of school; starts working for Warren Lumber Company.
1913 (Spice Run, WV): Joins Flynn Lumber Company as their 3rd employee.
1917 (Deer Creek, WV): Becomes a lumber inspector; earns $2.25/day.
1918 (France): Serves with the 20th Engineers Forestry Division during WWI.
1921 (Richmond, VA): Graduates from Business College; realizes he prefers lumbering to office work.
1922 (Collingwood, TN): Takes charge of 3 million feet of high-grade lumber; marries Edith Bennett.
1923 (Norman, TN): Birth of son, Charles; continues career in high-grade export lumber inspection.
Would you like me to research more about the Flynn Lumber Company or provide a deeper analysis of the 20th Engineers Forestry Division’s role in WWI?
The Flynn Lumber Company was a significant player in the early 20th-century West Virginia timber boom, operating primarily in the rugged Nicholas and Pocahontas County regions.
Established around 1905 (with corporate roots dating back to 1903), the company was a quintessential "mill town" operation that transformed the landscape of the Gauley River area.
The Hub of Swiss, West Virginia
The company’s most famous footprint was in the unincorporated community of Swiss, West Virginia (Nicholas County).
Industrial Infrastructure: Flynn Lumber purchased thousands of acres of virgin timber and built a massive industrial complex. This included a major sawmill, a company store, and a dedicated railroad.
Economic Lifeblood: The company store was the center of the universe for the local community, doubling as the post office, ticket office, and freight depot for the Kanawha and West Virginia Railroad.
Rail Connectivity: The company was served by a branch of the C&O Railroad. In 1910, the company officially moved its main office to Swiss and increased its capital to $200,000—a substantial sum at the time—reflecting its rapid growth.
Operations in Pocahontas County
While Swiss was a primary hub, the company maintained a strong presence in Pocahontas County, where Jack Huffman, Sr. worked for them as one of their earliest employees in 1913.
Spice Run: The company operated at Spice Run, near Watoga. This area was known for its high-grade "Yellow Poplar and White Oak," which was highly sought after for export.
Logging Methods: Like many operations of the era, Flynn Lumber relied on a combination of horse-drawn skidding and logging railroads to move timber from the steep mountain ravines to the main lines.
The "Swiss" Legacy
By the early 1920s, much of the timber around Swiss had been harvested. The Morgan Lumber Company leased the land and Flynn’s railroad in 1923 to harvest remaining timber for a factory in Charleston. Eventually, the Flynn Lumber Company store—once the heart of the town—burned down, marking the symbolic end of the company's local dominance.
Today, while the big mills are gone, the name persists in the region. Flynn Lumber & Supply Co. (established in 1945 in Michigan by World War II veterans Ray and Jim Flynn) carries the family name into the modern era as a home decor and building supply business, though it is distinct from the original logging giant of the early 1900s.
Historical Context for Your Research:
If you are looking for specific records of employees or land deeds from this time, you can often find them in the Nicholas County or Pocahontas County courthouses under the 1905–1925 timeframe, or in the digital archives of the West Virginia & Regional History Center.
For detailed research into the Flynn Lumber Company between 1905 and 1925, you can utilize several West Virginia digital and physical repositories that house employee records, land deeds, and industrial history.
West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC)
The WVRHC at West Virginia University is the primary repository for the state's economic and industrial history.
Public Records Collection: This includes microfilmed West Virginia county court records such as deeds, surveys, and school reports. It specifically holds early 20th-century federal census records (1810–1930), which can help identify company employees living in mill towns like Swiss or Watoga.
West Virginia History OnView: This digital photo archive contains thousands of images, including logging crews and lumber camps from the early 1900s.
Archives & Manuscripts: The center holds over 4,000 collections documenting the state's economic development, which often include business ledgers and payroll records from major timber operations.
Nicholas County Records
The Flynn Lumber Company was centered in Swiss, Nicholas County.
Nicholas County Clerk: Located in the courthouse in Summersville, the Clerk's office maintains original deed and will books.
Online Indexes: The Clerk's office now provides online access to recorded document indexing.
FamilySearch Catalog: Microfilm of original Nicholas County records, including deed books from 1818–1907 and deed indexes up to 1969, are available for digital viewing through FamilySearch.
Pocahontas County Records
For records related to the company's Spice Run or Watoga operations, you should consult Pocahontas County repositories.
Pocahontas County Assessor & Clerk: Their online portals allow for deed searches by grantor or grantee (e.g., searching for "Flynn Lumber Company") and specific map/parcel IDs.
WVRecord Search: This platform offers automated chains of title for Pocahontas County, linking deeds, leases, and appraisements to specific properties.
Digital Research Tools
Digital Courthouse: Provides assessment data and scanned tax maps for most West Virginia counties, with 20-year ownership histories often available online.
ArchiveGrid: This tool allows you to search across hundreds of institutions to find specific primary source material, such as manuscript collections that might contain Flynn Lumber Company correspondence or payroll.
Would you like me to help you formulate specific search queries for these databases to find members of the Huffman family or land transactions involving Flynn Lumber?
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