2010_29_1_NewMilford

New Milford, New Hampshire: Once a Jewel; Now a Ghost

white pine The

series of

architectural monographs volume xxix number one

New Milford: The Spirit of a New England Village Lives On

+

% New Milford, New Hampshire: Once a Jewel; Now a Ghost 5

% The Flannery Quarry: From Provider of Fortune to Taker of Lives 5 % The Evolution of1 New Milford Quarrying 5 % The Sawmill That Built A Town Of Wooden Gold 5 % The Town: From Victorian Destination to the End of the Line 5 M % The Land Trust: Keeping the Spirit Alive 5

(8

Š NELMA 2010 Cumberland, Maine

an architectural

monograph New Milford:

The Spirit of a New England Village Lives On Prepared for Publication by Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association 272 Tuttle Road Cumberland, ME 04021 Š 2010

Detailed historic town map of New Milford, circa 1910.

By Gideon S. Leonard (Guest Writer) Editor’s Note: Mr. Leonard is a native of New England, spending much of his time in Boston and points north. A former History professor with a background in 19th century boomtown architecture, Mr. Leonard was commissioned to pen this particular monograph due to his extensive knowledge of historical mill towns of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and understanding of Eastern White Pine’s significant role in shaping their growth. It will not escape the reader that the author has a flair for incorporating local folklore with researched information to enhance the experience beyond plain facts. To read more of Mr. Leonard’s perspective on historic New England, visit www.GideonLeonard.com.

M

New Milford, New Hampshire: Once a Jewel; Now a Ghost

The

white pine series of

architectural monographs A publication suggesting the architectural uses of eastern white pine and its availability today.

(8 volume xxix number one (8 +

New Milford, New Hampshire: Once a Jewel; Now a Ghost

By the turn of the 20th century, New Milford, New Hampshire was a booming Victorian-era village—its permanent residents and tourists sheltered from the newly industrialized world by the towering peaks of the White Mountains. Today, it is an abandoned ghost town. First incorporated in 1852 by working-class quarry workers and their following, New Milford enjoyed prosperity for many years, even a stint as a seasonal resort destination in the early 1900s. However, a succession of unfortunate disasters at the quarry site, the decline of rail-based tourism, the Great Depression, and the outbreak of World Wars all led to the abandonment of the town and the scattering of its few remaining citizens by the late 1940s.

T

oday, the New Milford Land Trust owns and oversees the land surrounding the infamous Flannery Quarry and the remains of the derelict village.

Quietly tucked away and obscured by acres of surrounding white pine forest, some of the quarry equipment and a few village structures still stand today; visited only by the few hikers and accidental tourists who manage to stumble upon this forgotten site.

1

M

The White Pine Monograph Series

The abundance of land and resources of the White Mountains provided diverse opportunity for new settlements.

The industrious labor skills of New Milford’s founding fathers would not go to waste as they began the process of putting down roots to begin their new life.

Historical records indicate that a band of rugged quarry workers and their families, along with a few escaped slaves following the Underground Railroad, left the southern New Hampshire town of Milford in the summer of 1848 and began a journey north towards the vast wilderness of the White Mountains in search of a new home. Frustrated with the fast and furious overpopulation of Milford (nicknamed “The Granite Town”) and all the problems that follow due to the exploding success of the town’s numerous granite quarries (its stone was used to build the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.), the self-appointed pioneers were determined to settle a new town and create their own opportunities.

Under the loose leadership of Aengus “Red” Flannery, a 2nd generation Irishman with a shock of red hair that would grow back in a day if cut to the scalp, the Milfordian flock eventually put down roots in a heavily wooded parcel of land on the banks of the Cowasuck Stream amidst the rich foothills of the Presidential Mountain Range. More of the practical type, the group failed to come up with a name more creative than that of their previous home. Thus, the town of New Milford, New Hampshire was officially founded in the fall of 1848 and eventually incorporated a few years later. Other friends and family seeking a new life joined the group in these formative years of the town.

The industrious labor skills of New Milford’s founding fathers would not go to waste as they began the process of putting down roots to begin their new life. The bounty of resources within this self-proclaimed utopia would call upon their collective knowledge to transform the landscape into a sustainable homeplace. /

2

M

The Flannery Quarry: From Provider of Fortune to Taker of Lives

+ The Flannery Quarry:

From Provider of Fortune to Taker of Lives As the story goes, one day in the early spring of 1849, Aengus Flannery’s 7-year-old son, Wallace, was out exploring the outer regions of the area, running amongst the large granite boulders strewn about by the creep and ebb of ancient glaciers. Wallace was pretending to take on a tribe of wild Abenaki Indians that had previously called this part of the world home. Cresting a small hill in the midst of the immense Eastern White Pine forest, just north of the fledgling one-road village, Wallace came upon a giant hole in the earth. Looking down and across the abyss, he had no idea that he had just discovered what would soon be known as the Flannery Quarry — producer of some of the highest quality granite ever quarried in New England.

T

oday, a small weather-worn marker stands at the south rim of the quarry that reads, “224 men lost their lives at this quarry — 1849 to 1924.” Adding to the lore of the area, various hikers and even Land Trust employees claim to have seen lingering spirits of now-abandoned New Milford; and it’s at the quarry site that most of the former town’s spectral denizens, imagined or not, hold sway. While there is no formal proof in the few surviving official town records to corroborate the true number of quarry deaths, nor is there any specific written testimonial of paranormal activity, rumors have it that the Atlantic Paranormal Society has scouted the area for a future, more in-depth investigation.

Adding to the mystery of New Milford is the sheer remoteness of the area, even today. Modernday access is via a poorly maintained dirt road that runs alongside the old ballast bed of the railroad, best traversed in a sturdy four-wheel drive vehicle or hiking the three-mile offshoot from the Appalachian Trail. The road ends with an oddly well-kept parking area and an information lean-to that contains brochures printed by the Land Trust, a sign-in sheet, and a map marking points of interest. After signing in and taking a map, visitors can trek to the remains of the town or to the rim of the quarry, at their own peril, and step back in time.

3

M

The White Pine Monograph Series

A leaf-carpeted wide path—once a main village road—leads uphill from the parking area towards the quarry proper. Along the way, solitary, rusted machines and equipment items used by quarry workers present themselves for close inspection. The peaceful mature stands of Eastern White Pine play hide and seek with the once loud and violent splitting, hoisting, and hauling mechanisms. The tranquil road is still littered with small piles of sharp-edged stones—a definitive clue that loads of granite had once made their way down the hill by way of beast-pulled sleds and wagons; later replaced by the mechanical “horse.”

Continuing along the path, the exposed rock shimmers gray and silver, and scars from chisels and drills indicate that the hole in the earth that Wallace discovered so long ago is not far ahead. Coming to a clearing, one encounters rusting trucks and generators that once served vital functions.

Among the pine needles, steel linkages and gears lay randomly strewn about the forest floor.

To the left, what surely must be one of the quarry’s original buildings, sits a collapsed generator shed. Beyond that, Withstanding the test of time, the white pine tool shed still another structure is still stands structurally sound today. standing. According to the brochure and map, this tool shed was the last structure to be built, erected in 1935. Made of Eastern White Pine boards and framing elements, the shed remains empty but is in surprisingly good shape, laying testament to the wood species’ ability to withstand the test of time. The building itself lends a sense of hope and possibility to an otherwise lonely and forgotten place.

About fifty yards beyond the tool shed, the gaping maw of the quarry opens into the expanse below. Because the encroaching pine forest closely surrounds the quarry’s rim, minimal sunlight finds its way to the quarry floor. A truly daunting abyss, one is compelled to look away for fear of being mesmerized by the beckoning scene and falling to certain death. Luckily, there is an impressive distraction: large, weathered poles, constructed from long trunks of native Eastern White Pine, still extend high above the quarry rim. Further exploration reveals rusting cables that run from the tops of the poles and disappear into the surrounding woods. These huge, spider-like contraptions are the remnants of the quarry’s most essential machines: the derricks.

Derricks are types of cranes that quarry workers have utilized for over a century to heave hulking granite chunks from the pit below. As dangerous as they were simplistic, the design of the derricks found at the Flannery Quarry had seen little development in over 100 years. /

4

M

The Evolution of New Milford Quarrying

+

The Evolution of New Milford Quarrying

Together, Stone and Wood Drive An Economy To understand the limited evolution of derrick technology, it helps to know a bit about quarrying. In a recent interview, Chuck Winters, a historian and volunteer for the New Milford Land Trust, was kind enough to explain the significance of the derricks and their role in the growth of New Milford. Generally speaking, there are four types of quarries: boulder quarries, surface ledge quarries, subterranean quarries, and commercial deep pit quarries.

B

oulder quarrying is unique to early American colonialists who gathered and utilized chunks of rock that were originally deposited by glaciers.

Boulders were an easy source of building materials for foundations, chimneys, and stone walls. First documented in the 1750s, surface ledge quarrying involves exposed bedrock, usually on hillsides, which is quarried into usable sections of rock. Ledge quarries generally supplied stone for local building projects such as foundations and stone walls, but more significantly for culverts, bridge abutments, and other railroad-related structures. These quarries are often found within 100 yards of old railroad beds. Focused on obtaining stone from specific strata of deeply buried rock, subterranean quarries involve the extraction of blocks from mining shafts and underground galleries. The large, modern quarries that most people are familiar with today are called commercial deep pit quarries. The advent of deep pit quarries in the 1820s required major innovations in hoisting and transportation of large blocks of stone. In short, deep pit quarrying inspired the invention and use of derricks. In 1825, Almoran Holmes developed the modern quarry derrick during the construction of the Bunker Hill Monument in Boston.

Hence, most quarry experts point to 1825 as the year that the quarry derrick saw its most significant development.

During its industrial life, the Flannery Quarry in New Milford was, at one point, one of the largest granite quarries in New Hampshire. In essence, the Flannery site was a combination of all four quarry types. In the months after young Wallace Flannery almost fell into the massive hole, the large granite monoliths that dotted the forest were boulder quarried out of existence. Next, the slope of granite strafing the eastern rim of the quarry proper was occasionally ledge quarried, and still bears the scars left from pickaxes and drill bits. And then there’s the hole itself: while technically a subterranean quarry, it was open and accessible enough to be instantly used as a deep pit quarry. Upon realizing the potential yield and high quality of New Milford’s granite 5

M

The White Pine Monograph Series

pit, the town leaders (conveniently former quarrymen from the original Milford), went to work procuring the technology required to work the massive hole. It is because of the deep pit nature of the Flannery Quarry that the use of derricks became necessary. The natural shape and depth of the quarry itself was enough to cause some head scratching. Instead of building derricks that would operate from the quarry floor, as was common, the Flannery Quarry derricks would have to perch upon the rim of the quarry and hoist from above.

The final designs reflected Almoran Holmes’ simple, effective derrick idea but included added length applied to the masts and booms, and double the amount of guy wires for support. When the first slab of granite was pulled from the quarry floor in 1853, the Flannery derricks were the largest ever constructed at that time. And the most dangerous.

According to Mr. Winters, oak was the most typical species of wood used in quarry derrick construction due to its stout nature. However, since New Milford was surrounded by healthy, tall stands of Eastern White Pine, the quarrymen put the reliable and abundant species to good use. Apart from steel plates, fasteners, and wire, the derricks found at the Flannery Quarry were made completely of Eastern White Pine. The tallest trees around were felled and made into the towering derrick masts while shorter, broader trees were used for the booms and even the giant bull wheels.

While the Flannery Quarry used the tall, straight Eastern White Pine for masts, this is a typical derrick of the times.

The use of Eastern White Pine wasn’t reserved merely for the derricks. Once the granite blocks were successfully lifted out of the quarry, they were placed on various modes of transport. Early on, the most popular way to move a slab a short distance was to use a stone boat, also known as a stone sledge. These were heavy-duty toboggan-like sleds that were pulled by horse or oxen.

Produced at the village sawmill as a necessary piece of farm equipment, they would have been readily available for use at the Flannery Quarry. Pulled over dry, flat ground or packed snow, the long wooden sleds consisted of five to ten Eastern White Pine logs that were each milled or hand-planed roughly to the size of a 6” X 10” and bolted together with two thick cross-braces at either end. Surviving examples of stone boats are rare, and the use of the sleds died out at the end of the 19th century as quarrying technology improved.

6

M

The Evolution of New Milford Quarrying

By the 1900s, specialty carts and wagons were gaining popularity as a much more efficient way to transport the granite blocks from the quarry into town or to the railroad loading docks or beyond. Common commercial quarry operations employed both two-wheeled and four-wheeled carts and wagons, many of which were heavy-duty versions of equipment used on local farms.

Some carts and wagons required stone slabs to be lifted and placed on them, but others were more specialized and had mechanisms that allowed them to transport the slabs by carrying it under the carriage of the wagon. Typically, carts and wagons required a team of eight oxen—six oxen to pull the wagon in the front, and two oxen hitched to the rear to act as brakes on downward slopes. Mr. Winters describes the Flannery Quarry as wagons having been “…strong uncouthlooking bullock-cars, composed of three parallel beams of Eastern White Pine, of which the center one was rather lower than the others.” Carts and wagons were used in some capacity right up until the day the site was closed.

Granite from the Flannery Quarry was initially put to use in the construction of the quickly expanding village of New Milford, but was later extracted and shipped by railroad to Massachusetts and New York where it was refined and polished for various commercial uses.

With surviving pieces and parts of stone boats, carts, wagons and standing Eastern White Pine derricks, the Flannery Quarry sits like a living museum. Left behind when the company and town folded in the mid-20th century, the stoic artifacts only hint at the bustling day-to-day duties and significant dangers in the life of a New Milford quarryman. /

The granite loading station was an active site of the Flannery Quarry.

7

M

The White Pine Monograph Series

+ The Sawmill That Built A Town of Wooden Gold From the day that the founding fathers first set foot in the Great Northern Woods from which New Milford would bloom, the process of carving out the town began in earnest. A man named Joseph Hannifin and his three young sons took to the Eastern White Pine forest with their trusted saws that made the journey and felled the timbers that would become the first dwellings. Within a few short years, the industrious family built their first sawmill on the banks of the Cowasuck Stream, using the power of the water and sawing advancements to ease the back-breaking strain of producing wood materials for the town and quarry. The sawmill quickly went from a 4-man chore to an operation that employed dozens of townsmen.

A

rchitecturally speaking, the builders of New Milford were enamored by Eastern White Pine and how it could be used for its structures. In addition to its use in the construction of derricks, stone boats and wagons for the Quarry, it was also used in buildings for everything from framing, sheathing and exterior siding to grand staircase components, paneling, and ornate millwork. And don’t forget bowling pins, casino tables, church pews, and horsedrawn carriages. Right up to the point of abandonment, one could argue that the town was built almost entirely of Eastern White Pine. Practically every building in New Milford benefitted from the Hannifin Sawmill, from its most prominent structures to the modest of houses, as it was, aside from the Flannery Quarry, a driving source behind the town’s development. An almost xenophobic source of pride was still left over from the days those first resilient founders stepped foot in the region – the men of New Milford were eager to ship stone and wood out, but proclaimed self-sufficiency when it came to bringing in building materials from anywhere else.

When the wooden needs of New Milford began to slow, the Hannifins looked for a few “outside” customers for their output. Like Flannery Quarry’s reputation for its fine quality of granite, the Hannifin Sawmill became known as a producer of some of the highest grade of Eastern White Pine lumber and timbers in the region. Sought after by millwork producers from all over New England, the advent of the railroad made it possible to transport this wooden gold alongside its rich granite counterpart to the burgeoning industrial world to the south. While the town could

8

M

The Sawmill That Built A Town of Wooden Gold

have shipped thousands of board feet of product to hundreds of customers, the practice of selectively cutting the trees by the Hannifins kept production in-check. Current land trust members like to think that that the good people of New Milford were simply thinking conservatively and were practicing an early form of environmental sustainability. It’s believed that the white pine mill was not only the first entrepreneurial endeavor in the new settlement, but also the last remaining business that kept the New Milford spark alive as long as it could. /

“Right up to the point of abandonment, one could argue that the town was built almost entirely of Eastern White Pine.�

The introduction of the circular saw helped sawmills like HanniFin ensure more precise cutting, thereby increasing both production numbers and quality.

9

M

The White Pine Monograph Series

+ The Town:

From Victorian Destination to the End of the Line By 1899, the once fledgling settlement of New Milford was growing into a respectable destination. As the town grew to the south of the quarry, it was the mindful decision of New Milford’s leaders to keep the quarry physically separate and “out of sight” to attract visitors to this picturesque setting. Whereas the local rail system was originally built for shipping stone and lumber, it was now bringing curious passengers that sought out unspoiled locations in New England to get away from the “big city” for a time. The Upper Coos Railroad provided the link for once remote destinations in the upper Connecticut River Valley and the White Mountains with major cities to the South.

The route featured some of New England’s most spectacular scenery and generated new opportunities for tourists and regional economies alike. It didn’t take long for New Milford, with its clean air and panoramic views, to become a burgeoning Victorian resort town stop along the way. Attracted by the pristine beauty of the White Mountains, the wealthy took the train north from Boston, New York and Philadelphia to escape the summertime heat, humidity and ever-increasing pollution. Ready to accommodate the curious rich was New Milford’s most lavish and prominent structure, the Wallace Hotel. Owned by and named after the now successful Wallace Flannery, the hotel was constructed in 1901 to accommodate the new influx of visitors.

B

OASTING THE LARGEST WRAP-AROUND PORCH IN

NEW HAMPSHIRE AT THE TIME, THE HOTEL 150 GUESTS AND EMPLOYED MORE THAN 40 STAFF. Patrons enjoyed the pleasures of an in-house casino and bowling alley. They also often took carriage rides to nearby Franconia Notch and scenic vistas within the White Mountains, which even included day trips to play the “new” sport called golf at Sugar Hill. Regional poets and photographers frequented the hotel and could often be found on the porch, artistically recording the juxtaposition between the carefree comings and goings of the newly rich and the grueling strife of the local quarrymen. It is rumored that Robert Frost would pay visits from time to time, savoring COULD ACCOMMODATE

10

M

The Town: From Victorian Destination to the End of the Line

that hardy, dignified New England quality of life that always seemed to drip from his beloved anthologies.

The Tall Pines Tavern, found within the enormous confines of the Wallace Hotel, served wellto-do patrons across a stunning, hand carved bar that was purportedly constructed from the trunk of the largest Eastern White Pine in Joseph Hannifin’s yard. Certainly the stuff of legend, the town sawyer is said to have blown the trees over himself during a fit after finding his wife in a “compromised position” with a former slave that had made the trip from the original Milford 50 years earlier. Of course, as Mr. Winters of the land trust admits, this is highly unlikely.

While the town of New Milford was both sheltered and confined by mountains, its growth remained steady until the late 1920s. The year-round population peaked at just over 400 souls.

Yet, it was as if there was a predetermined size that it would reach. For decades, citizens had whispered fears that the town’s good fortune would simply just stop. Despite the impending arrest of the town’s physical development, the quarry continued to produce ton after ton of high-quality granite. However, safety issues inherent with the industry increasingly dogged the quarry on a regular basis.

The death of a father and son who perished together when a derrick cable mysteriously gave way, plummeting the victims to the bottom of the quarry, added to the townspeople’s overwhelming feeling of future demise. The fact that the father and son were descendents of town founders added an extra dollop of drama to the tragedy. Blatant mismanagement of the quarry for decades after being sold by its founders to a The grand entrance of the Wallace Hotel wealthy Portsmouth business cartel, just added impressed guests with its twin curved staircase to the mounting issues befalling the town well of white pine balusters. before the Stock Market crash and advent of the Great Depression. The quarry’s slow death came to an undignified close as a result of bankruptcy in 1939.

Adding to the eventual fate of New Milford would be another unlikely culprit, Henry Ford.

The mass production and exploding popularity of the automobile helped kill New Milford.

The steady, intoxicating growth of independent mobility all but put a halt to passenger railroad service in and around the region. This, in turn, lead to a decline in Victorian tourism trends— grand extravagances like the Wallace Hotel quickly became unnecessary, if not passé. The rich, no longer restricted by the limits of rail service, sought better places to visit than a remote quarry town. This was the nail in New Milford’s coffin. The Wallace Hotel struggled to remain open until 1932, when it finally closed its hand-crafted, oversized Eastern White Pine doors. Parts of the structure still stand today, proudly displaying its rich white pine origins within the exterior framework and stark interior remains. / 11

M

The White Pine Monograph Series

+ The Land Trust: Keeping the Spirit Alive

While the precise date of death is not known, few remaining records indicate it was the autumn of 1948 when New Milford was abandoned.

Exactly when, or in what capacity, is not known. A plethora of tales regarding the end have been told over the years. One story has it that a lost child—a relative of Wallace Flannery—was found dead on the quarry floor one morning and the remaining residents just packed up and left the next day. Had they had enough of death’s subtle, yet perpetual presence at the quarry site over the years? Was it the heartbreak of losing all those gracious guests that had once admired the rugged beauty of New Milford and had since moved on to greener pastures in which to sip their cocktails? Or simply the promise of greater opportunity elsewhere following the end of WWII? Sandra Dyer, vice president of the New Milford Land Trust, believes it was a combination of these elements. “I’ve lived in this region all my life— my ancestors were part of the original founders of New Milford. I recall tales of hope, prosperity, grandeur and eventual demise told to me as a child. It’s a sad ending to the early struggles and hardearned successes by a patriotic group rife with the unique New England spirit.”

M

s. Dyer occasionally strolls along what used to be called Scenic Way, the overgrown main road at the heart of the defunct town. Tragically, a fast-moving wildfire in 1953 swept through the town and destroyed all but a few buildings in what was left of New Milford. Walking by the daunting remains of the Wallace Hotel, she points out that most of the Eastern White Pine has held up longer than can be expected. “No one has applied a paint brush in nearly 80 years, and look how noble the old porch looks today.

I was always told that some of the founding townspeople believed that the surrounding white pine forests were magical…that they were immortal. I believe it.”

12

M

The Land Trust: Keeping the Spirit Alive

The New Milford Land Trust now owns the land surrounding the historic quarry and the dilapidated town. In 1969, an out-of-state entity, the Larouche Stone Company, proposed purchasing the quarry from its owner, by default, the Pemigewasset National Bank of Berlin. With the help of a significant donation, citizens from throughout New Hampshire created the land trust and purchased the property before Larouche could finalize the deal. The Trust’s mission is to protect not only the beauty of the area, but also the memory of New Milford. Chuck Winters proudly states, “On paper, the land trust claims to protect the area’s rural character, natural resources and ecologically sensitive environment. But we all know that’s a bunch of hooey. We’re here to protect the spirits that make up these woods. Something special happened here—something that will never happen again. The land trust arrangement will keep it that way.” /

Magalloway Store is one of the few buildings to have escaped total destruction from the Fire of 1953.

“The Trust’s mission is to protect not only the beauty of the area, but also the memory of New Milford.”

13

M

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Architects, Designers and Building Professionals

is looking for story ideas, articles, photos and feedback for our next issue to be published in Summer of 2010

What we’re looking for:

% Updates on projects or designs featured in the original White Pine Monographs 5 % Photos of modern uses of Eastern White Pine 5 % Techniques for building with Eastern White Pine 5 % Projects showcasing Eastern White Pine 5 % New and old homes with classic styling of Eastern White Pine 5 % Innovative uses of New England’s most historic wood 5 % Industry news pertaining to Eastern White Pine 5

Submit your story ideas, photos, thoughts, expressions or well-written articles to: monographs@EasternWhitePine.org

List of Eastern White Pine Mills of The Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association Hull Forest Products Beaulieu Brothers Lumber, Inc. Chester Forest Products Crobb Box Company Fontaine, Inc. Fraser Timber Limited Hammond Lumber Company Hammond, Thomas & Son Hancock Lumber Company, Inc. Haskell Lumber, Inc. Hunt, N.C., Inc. Irving Forest Products Kelly, P.M., Inc./Kelly Lumber Sales Lavalley Lumber Company, LLC Limington Lumber Company East Lovell Lumber Company, Inc. Lowell, R.E., Lumber, Inc. Maschino & Sons Lumber Company, Inc. Moose River Lumber Company, Inc. Pleasant River Lumber, Inc. Record Lumber, Inc. Robbins Lumber, Inc. Stratton Lumber, Inc. Cowls, W.D., Inc. North Robinson, W.R., Lumber Company, Inc. Bingham Lumber, Inc. Chocorua Valley Lumber Company Cote & Reney Lumber Company, Inc. DiPrizio Pine Sales Durgin & Crowell Lumber Company, Inc. H.G. Wood Industries, LLC King Forest Industries, Inc. Madison Lumber Mill, Inc. Milan Lumber Company, Inc. Patenaude Lumber Company, Inc. Precision Lumber, Inc. Seacoast Mills, Inc. HDK Wood Products Johnson Lumber Company Russin Lumber Corporation Ward Lumber Company, Inc. Brojack Lumber Kuhns Bros. Lumber Co., Inc. Britton Lumber Company, Inc. Cersosimo Lumber Company Cyr Lumber, Inc. Lamell Lumber Corp.

Manchester Lumber M.B. Heath & Sons Lumber Company, Inc. Mill River Lumber Ltd. North Newman Lumber Company, Inc.

Pomfret Center,Connecticut Chapman, Maine Lincoln, Maine Hancock, Maine Eustis, Maine Ashland & Masardis, Maine Belgrade,Maine Hiram, Maine Bethel, Casco & Pittsfield, Maine Lincoln, Maine Jefferson, Maine Dixfield, Maine Ashland, Maine Sanford, Maine Baldwin, Maine Lovell, Maine Buckfield, Maine New Gloucester,Maine Jackman, Maine Dover-Foxcroft, Maine Oxford, Maine Searsmont, Maine Stratton, Maine Amherst, Massachusetts Wheelwright, Massachusetts Brookline, New Hampshire South Tamworth, New Hampshire Grantham, New Hampshire Middleton, New Hampshire New London, New Hampshire Bath, New Hampshire Wentworth, New Hampshire West Ossipee, New Hampshire Milan, New Hampshire Henniker, New Hampshire Wentworth, New Hampshire Brentwood, New Hampshire Harrisville, New York Carthage, New York Montgomery, New York Jay, New York Olyphant, Pennsylvania Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Fairlee, Vermont Brattleboro, Vermont Milton, Vermont Essex Junction, Vermont Johnson, Vermont North Hyde Park, Vermont Clarendon, Vermont Wells River, Vermont