The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-10
Town That Gre w Up.
From the Lumber
Interest.
THE GOOD PEOPLE
AND THE RAILWAYS
Two Railroad Lines That Toucl,
Sedley Not Giving the Live
Town Square Deal, So the
People Think-The Citi-
zens' Improvement
League.

s:diey, southampton Co.. Va, March
3.-The very existence of Sedleyii is SO
intimately and inseparably associated
with the organization and Development
CT the Surry Lumber Company, that in
writing up the history OF this bcauti- e
ful little village, which is located NonsSs
the dividing ridge between the Black E
water and the Nottoway Rivers nalf- Il
way between the towns of Jarrett and
SuHolk, and at the Junction of the Nir-.E
Sinian and the Surry, SUSSEX ana South NJ
ainpton Railways, it Is NJ ccssnry to. - "
back over quarter of century tuE8
STOW how, by tho development OF this p
company, Scdlcy also came into exist
cncc.
About thirty years ago Southampton
county contained, perhaps. more orig
ii.al growth pine timber than amy other
county in the State. with, i'll that time
only two railways touching it's borders
the Norfolk and Western on Its en-
tiemc northern edge AMI the cscaboa III
All Line on its southern burdle. This
ictt II very large tract u land between
the TWO railways, owned mostly by
pcoplc whose farms contained on ait}B
average of about 2oo acres, three.
fourths of which VIA In original
growth pine timber. t
big SnNmiii Development.
Farm lands were then selling at froin
90 " so ptEiSTt. ana, III Il great MANY "
Instances this vaiuuhla timDr., l,;is lii +
the way of the owners, who wished to
clear their lands for agricultural pul-
poses. Previous to this time, X. y.
Waters & Son, of Baltimore, anu Rich
trdson, Smith Moore ~ Co.. OF snow
liill Md, two of the largest ana mosc
influential dealers and manufacturers
OF lumber In Maryland. recognizing
the possibilities OF a nrcntnblc hand
ling Of the pine timber In Virginia,
bought out III, ground s,lwmiils;"5
iine & s,I ana see,n the 'anals
county. the site OF whose mills were
then known us "Pnrkers store and
| has since that time become III, nov
prosperous town of Ipcndron. E,i
After acquiring these properties OF 4
David steele. IT WAS found tina, COR
poratton Was necessary To conduct the
business, which had thus come into
their possession. The buyers applied
ter, and Immediately upon the receipt
vi this charter, the Surry Lumber
| Company was organized. with the fol-
lowing officers: X. r. Waters. pest
dent; John Walter Smith. vice presi-
dent: T.. L. Waters. treasurer; j ohm T..
tor, and Edward Rogers, superinten-
dent. In passing, II is Interesting To )
note that this list of nniccrs has not
hoen changed since organization, about
thirty years ago with tho exception
o. its first president, Il, 7. Matters. who
died about ten years ago his son. II.
r.. Waters, succeeding him to that
position
Mnious In virginia Timber.
Tile old adage Nothing succeeds
like success is fully demonstrated by!
the history OF this company ana its
officers, who, besides making their
company widely known through the
Eastern part Of the United States by
! their ability and financial success,
are largely known individually as men
! OF affairs In Virginia and in Maryland.
The Surry Lumber Company. operat-
ed In Surrey county for several years
| upon wooden tram-roads, ana finding
them unproiita bic, tho managers rccog-
nlzcd the fact that a better means OF
| transportation must be adopted. About
this time the vast forests of original
growth pine in the counties of Sussex
and southampton, lying between Tho
Norfolk and Western, the Seaboard Air.
| Line and the Atlantic Coast Line Rail-
ways, MAS called 10 the attention OF
this company. and they immediately
became aware OF large future de-
velopment in the lumber business
| They became so deeply impressed with
the situation that they AT once turned
their energies towards securing by op-
| ton, OF by direct purchase, all OF the
I timber and necessary rights for trans
porting same to their mills al Dendron,
| that they could secure in the above
named sections, paving the lundown-
/ crs from 50 to So per acre for these
rights. While to-day this price looks
iridculously small In comparison vita
to-day's values. it must be remembsrs
cd that a, that time farm lands wcre
also equally low In value, and IL Is Il
| fact. that at that time the Surry Lum-
her Company became the henefactors
OF a large number OF prominent ci,i-5
zcns OF to-day. by cna bling them to nm
ish paying for their farms. and In some
instances. paying fol' them entirely by
! the price received for thejr timber,
hallway Facilities Nccessnr.. nsa
ADEQUATE transportation facilities
new became an absolute necessity, and
the Surry. Sussex ana Southampton
Hallway was duly organized and chart
cred as u common carrier. IT was or
, itccrcd by tho same pcools as the Surr'y
Lumber Company. and was frsf Son
structed and operated between Scss.;
lGnd on the James River, and WakS-'A
field. on the Norfolk and Western
Railway. y few years later, as the
cutting OF timber progressed. the main
line was extended to Dory. eight miles
south of Wakefield, aftordins the farm
ers and merchants between those points
daily passenger and freight service to Z
either deep water on the James River,
or rail connection TO Wakefield
The farmers. being assured byl ths
management that the same policy wouIii I.
be pursued hy the two companies on D
their main line extending from porySg
south to Setlley. made an effort 10 assf3
| sist them in whatever way possiplcS3to 2
cross their farms In nearly every in
stance, rights OF way wer,, given fses,#