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12
The Progress of the Races
line between New Orleans and Mobile, makes it a logical point for business, and who knows what her possibilities might be? However, the business depression at Pearlington has been relieved in a great measure by the H. Weston Lumber Company, at Logtown, and by the Poitevent & Favre
Lumber Company at Mandeville, La., in caring for the remnant and those who have moved away.
LOGTOWN
Logtown was first named Chalons, probably after a Frenchman who settled there, or after the celebrated city of France. Chalons Bayou also bears his name like Usan Bayou bears the name of Usan Vaughn. When Chalons became a noted log-landing for rolling logs into Pearl River, the name was changed to Logtown. Logtown, at one time one of the least among the towns on Pearl River in Hancock County, has now grown to be the greatest. The ancient proverb, “All roads lead to Rome,” can now be transposed to read, “All roads lead to Logtown.”
Henry Weston was the founder and first president of the H. Weston Lumber Company. He was an eastern Yankee and a genius in the sawmill business. Tradition has it that when he came to Gainesville, a young man, in ante-bellum days, he was in such straits that he had to pawn his valise to pay his board at Judge James Graves’ boarding house. But he bequeathed to his family one of the finest lumber businesses in the State of Mississippi. His sons have successfully carried on the business. H. S. Weston, president; J. H. Weston, vice-president; J. S. Otis, secretary; D. R. Weston, treasurer; Asa Weston, the eldest son, master mechanic around the mills; Coney Weston s:nd Coben Weston, tallymen and lumber inspectors.
H.	S. Weston, the president, is a splendid business man, and prominent in politics. Under his supervision the business of the great firm has steadily grown and bids fair for continued success. Mr. Weston has been president of the Board of Supervisors of Hancock County for a long time. His slogan has been “good schools and good roads,” and we have them in Hancock County.
Mississippi was a dry state several years before Congress adopted national pi’ohibition. National prohibition is one of the greatest events in American history, and I verily believe that we have made the initial step toward world-wide prohibition within the next twenty-five years. Some of the anti-prohibitionists contended that to obliterate the liquor traffic in the State of Mississippi would be to close up the public schools for lack of funds to run them, that the public roads could not be kept up with the small sum that would be raised from taxes, but notwithstanding all that, we now have longer terms of schools, better teachers and better salaries, better roads and more of them, and less prisoners in jail. The Honorable William Jennings Bryan has well said: “The women will stand guard at the grave of John Barleycorn and make sure that he will never know a resurrection morn.”
Doubtless it was the sterling qualities and the business education of
J. S. Otis that raised him from a common laborer in the sawmill of the H.
Weston Lumber Company, first to be a clerk and bookkeeper in the store, and
next to be a member of the company and general business manager of the great concern.
The progress of the Races
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Mr. Otis was the first postmaster at Logtown, established June 19, 1884, and served during President Cleveland’s first administration. He was superintendent of public education of Hancock County, from 1889 to 1891, inclusive, and made a good superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Sunday School at Logtown for a number of years. He stands high in the church and in the fraternal orders of his community.
God is the author of riches and He gives men power to get wealth, and the rich man who has not made an idol of his money but puts his trust in God, and uses his money to do business and to bless humanity with employment and with a living wage, God will bless that man in this world and in the world to come.
The H. Weston Lumber Company operates two large sawmills at Logtown, and a fine railroad that carries passengers, and which supplies the mills with logs. They own large tracts of land in Hancock County, as well as every mill seat on Pearl River from Pearlington to Gainesville. They own all of Westonia and nearly all of Logtown, and manufacture an immense quantity of lumber and carry on a big sand and gravel trade. They employ colored men as captains of their schooners, boats and barges, and as section bosses on the railroad. If any colored man does not own a home in this section of the State it is because he is too lazy or shiftless to buy one, even on the installment plan. Every inducement has been offered to the colored people there to buy land, build homes, school houses and churches, and to do business. It is interesting to note that not a few have availed themselves of the opportunity, and we shall be glad to tell you about some of them when we reach that point in our story.
NAPOLEON
Napoleon is located on Pearl River about twenty-three miles from its mouth. It was settled by the French and named after the emperor of France. The principal French families who settled there were the Favres, Murphys and Hovers. These families have carried on most of the businesses there. Agriculture, stock raising and timber-getting have been the chief businesses of this town.
A brick-yard was started there but failed because the clay was not good enough to make brick. The most historic thing that might be mentioned of this place was, probably, the installation and use of the first printing press in Hancock County. The wells and springs of this place, like those of Gainesville, are as good as any in the State.
Captain Willis Vaughn and Henry Willis were the first colored men to own a schooner on Pearl River. They owned the barge Vina and usually loaded wood and coal at Napoleon for New Orleans.
GAINESVILLE
Gainesville is located twenty-eight miles from the mouth of Pearl River, and at the head of steamboat navigation. It derived its name from Gaines, the first white settler. Gainesville was the first county seat of Hancock County. When the court-house was burned and the records destroyed in 1858, the county seat was removed to Bay Saint Louis, where it now stands. Captain William Poitevent (the father of Captain John Poitevent) and Charles Frazier were