Alphabet File page 225

  On July 15, 1858, Henry Weston married Lois A. Mead of Jordan River, Mississippi, in Gainesville and moved into the home formerly owned by Mr. Wingate.  They had nine children.  Their six sons later assisted in the operation of the lumber company.

 

  The mill burned in September, 1858, but was soon rebuilt and operated until 1862 when the Federal forces captured New Orleans.

 

  During the Civil War, the mill was not in operation.  Mr. Weston did some farming and made salt at Lakeshore.

 

  After the Civil War, the W. W. Carre' Company produced lumber at the old plant.  In 1870, a new mill was built a short distance from the old one.  In 1874, the W. W. Carre' company dissolved with Henry Weston become the owner.

 

                       In 1888, the H. Weston Lumber Company was chartered with Mr. Henry Weston as President.  HJis six sons, Asa Sidney, Horatio Stephen II, David Coney, John Henry, David Robert and Abner Coburn, and Mr. J. S. Otis assisted in the business.

 

  Mr. Roy Baxter Sr. and Mr. Lamar Otis were employed in the H. Weston Lumber Company offices while in their teens and attending school.

 

  Roy Baxter, Sr. moved to Logtown in 1889, when he was 7 years old, and began working in the planing mill at age 14. His business training in New Orleans enabled him to work his way up to Sales Manager.

 

  Lamar Otis, son of J. S. Otis and grandson of Hery Carre' went to Milsaps College in Jackson for a short time, then attended Soule' Business College in New Orleans.  In an era predating the use of computers, Mr. Otis proved a valuable asset to the company because of his extraordinary mathematical ability.

 

  Both men held their position until the close of the lumber company.  Mr. Baxter went into the sawmill business for himself, retiring in  194333.  Mr. Otis began a towing business, owning the tug boats "BETTYE" and "J.S. OTIS". Later he was elected Circuit Clerk of Hancock County and held that office for 13 years until his death in  1972.

 

THE SEA COAST ECHO, dated October 31, 1914, gave front page coverage to the burning of Weston Mill Number One. Also completely destroyed by the fire at a nearby dock were the steamboat "PELICAN' and the tugboat "PALO PINTO".

 

  The mills were in operation for almost one hundred years. The H. Weston Lumber Company was numbered among the largest lumber exporting firms in the south.  The company owned and operated two large, modern sawmills, employing 1,2000 men at the peak of production.  They owned about twenty barges, schooners, steamboats and tugs, in addition to fifty miles or more of standard railroad equipped with modern logging machinery, and an immense acreage of fine timberland - everything necessary for a large, modern lumber manufacturing business.

 

    Mr. Horatio S. Weston, son of Henry Weston, was instrumental in making the H. Weston Lumber Company the first in Mississippi to begin the practice of forestry. The company participated in organized forestry work and forest fire prevention.  Mr. Weston was largely responsible for the laws passed by the 1927-28 legislature whereby a State Forestry Commission and the State Forestry Service were set up on a practical operating basis.

 

The first church in Logtown was built about 1875, by Mr. H. Weston and the lumber company on land donated to the Methodist Church by Mr. Henry Carre'.  The original church was called Cooper's Chapel, named for the Reverend Inman W. Cooper, its first minister.  Mr. Weston brought Reverend Cooper to Logtown to assist in organizing a Methodist Church.

 

Later, a Baptist Church was built with the help of Mr. Toulme Holliman and Mr. John Nelson, both skilled carpenters and longtime resident of the town.

 

  Early means of transportation were by horse and buggy to places along the coast and by river boat.  Passengers went by boat down Pearl River to English Lookout, later called Dunbar, where they boarded a train to New Orleans.

 

  The Weston Lumber Company had its own electric plant and ice factory that provided services to the town.  Their repair garage and service station were managed by Mr. Boaz Jones.  Their commissary, serving as a shopping center, and grocery, hardware and drug stores; ready to wear for women, men and children, and a millinery department.  It also included a section for the display of commins.  This proved a convenience for families of the deceased preventing the delay caused by shipping caskets from New Orleans.

 

  There was a hotel, called the Prk View, managed by Mr. and Mrs. Steeds, and later bvy Mrs. Frank Mitchell, a silent movie theatre, and a park with a large swimming pool.  Logtown families enjoyed hay rides, square dances and "come overs".  When a party was given, the expression was "Come over tonight".

 

Physicians in town included Dr. Artie Mead, Dr. J. Q. Fountain and his brother, Dr. Noah Fountain, Dr. George C. McGowan, and Dr. Buckley.  Mr. Calvin W. Fountain Sr. was the pharmacist.

 

    For many years, Logtown had a Court House and a jail, with Mr. Freeman Jones serving as Justice of the Peace.

 

An accredited high school was in existence for a period of time.  An elementary school was always in operation. The property for these schools was donated by Mr. Henry Carre'.  Among the principals were Mr. Fred Zollicoffer Brown, Mr.  George Hillis, and Mr. V. A. Arendale. 

 

  This old school was demolished in 1947 and a new one constructed on property donated by Miss Annette Koch.  It was in operation until 1966.  When the NASA buffer zone was established, the Charles B. Murphy School was built in Pearlington.

 

  Hancock County Bank, established in Bay St. Louis, in 1889, opened its first branch in the office building of Dr. J. Q. Fountain in Pearlington in 1902.  This branch was moved to Logtown in 1919, and remained until 1937.

 

  The Logtown Post Office, in existence for nearly 90 years, was always the place to meet friends and exchange all the latest news.  On October 23, 1883, Mr. Henry Carre' became the first Postmaster.   Later, Mrs. Lorenza Koch had this position.  Mrs. Lollie Bell Summers Wright was Postmaster for almost 37 years.  Her original commission dated January 17, 1927, was signed by then President Calvin Coolidge.  The Post Office closed in November, 1963.

 

  Masonic Lodge Number 393 held regular meetings through the years, as did the Order of the Eastern Star, Lois Weston Chapter.

 

  The whole town had an all day picnic every Fourth of July.  The lumber company brought bands from New Orleans. As the boat came up the river, the band played for the people gathered on the river bank, awaiting its arrival.

 

Sometime a showboat came up the river playing the calliope as it docked.  These professionals gave  plays for several nights.  The Chauauqa came, stayed three days and gave two performances a day in a huge tent. Originating in Chautauqua, New York, this was a popular amusement enterprise of the late 19th century.  Logtown people really enjoyed these productions.

 

The Weston Lumber Company terminated its operation of the sawmills in 1928.  Owned by D. R. Wingate, the Carre' families and the Westons, the sawmills contributed to the economy of Hancock County for almost 100 years.

 

  Through the years, grocery stores were owned by several families, including Mr. Ralph Howze, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dean, Mr. Calvin W. Fountain Sr., and Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Summers.