The History of the Antique Longleaf Yellow Pine

Around the late 1800s, two brothers named Goodyear had been harvesting hemlock in Northeastern Pennsylvania (present Potter County area). The logs were floated down the Susquehanna River for use in homes and barns. After exhausting the hemlock supply, the two decided to pull up stakes and head south where there was still wilderness and unchartered territory.

Around the Louisiana area, they discovered tall, virgin longleaf yellow pine in great abundance. Early reports indicated that you could walk for days within these forests and, while standing in them, not see the treetops. The Goodyear Brothers laid claim to these forests and started a lumber business which became quite successful. So sucessful, in fact, a town grew from it named Bogalusa. This was all due to the great longleaf pine, considered to be the King Of The Southern Pines.

Unfortunately, these magnificient trees were cut and never replanted. Therefore, today, this wood is commercially extinct. It would take a few hundred years for new timber to be ready for harvest; so, the only source today is through the recycling of old timbers.

Most of these timbers are found in old buildings constructed before or around the beginning of the 20th century. It was (and still is) considered to be the finest wood possible for the manufacturing of flooring. Great landmarks like Mount Vernon and Monticello have flooring using this original growth timber.

A nice history lesson you say? Wait, it gets better!

Around the turn of this century, a large warehouse in Pottsville, Pennsylvania was constructed with longleaf yellow pine timber which had been shipped north by barge and rail. In 1993, this warehouse was dismantled and Sylvan Brandt acquired the massive beams which measured 20-feet in length and up to 15-1/2-inches square! Because of the stampings on the ends of various beams, we were able to research the wood's origin to, you guessed it, Bogalusa, Louisiana!

You can give this wood new life. Recycle it and have beautiful, unique flooring or paneling. Call us with your size requirements. We can still re-mill this wood for you in random widths of both $7 per square foot, or $9 per square foot.

Dean Brandt
Proprietor