HARDWOOD RECORD 



'Builders of Lumber History. 



J. Gibson Mcllvain. 

 (See Portrait Supplemeut.t 



After making several 'attempts we have 

 sueeeeded in securing for our readers a short 

 history of the old lumber firm of J. Gibson 

 Mcllvain & Co., of Philadelphia, and the 

 business career of their senior member, J. 

 Gibson Mdlvain, vrho stands today as one 

 of the pioneer lumbermen of the United 

 States. 



This firm has had a most remarkable rec- 

 ord, having done business in Philadelphia 

 for one hundred and ten years under the 

 name of Mcllvain. It was established by 

 Hugh Mcllvain in 1798, assisted by his 

 brother John, at West Chester road, an old 

 Lancaster road in West Philadelphia, now 

 Thirty-seventh and Market streets, where the 

 West Philadelphia station of the Pennsyl- 

 vania railroad is located, and has been a 

 source of family pride and is now conducted 

 by his descendants. 



He did business under the name of Hugh 

 Mcllvain from 179S to 1801, when his brother 

 Richard was admitted into partnership, trad- 

 ing as Eichard and Hugh Mcllvain until 

 1832, when Eichard retired. Hugh continued 

 alone until 1835, when his son James entered 

 into partnership with him, trading as Hugh 

 Mcllvain & Son untU the death of Hugh, 

 November 24, 1838. 



The first of the following year, 1839, the 

 three sons, John H., James and Hugh sec- 

 ond entered into partnership and continued 

 the business of their father. John soon 

 withdrew, leaving James and Hugh second 

 trading as James & Hugh Mcllvain until 

 1S54, when Hugh Mcllvain bought out his 

 brother 's interest and continued as Hugh 

 Mcllvain until 1868, when his son, J. Gibson 

 Mcllvain, was taken into partnership ; they 

 traded as Hugh Mcllvain & Son until the 

 death of Hugh second February 25, 1879. 

 J. Gibson Mcllvain continued alone until 

 January 1, 1888, when his brother, Hugh 

 Mcllvain third, was admitted and the firm 

 name became J. Gibson Mcllvain & Co., 

 which title has since been used, they having 

 admitted J. Gibson McHvain, Jr., into the 

 firm January 1, 1903, and his brother, Wal- 

 ter B. Mcllvain, January 1, 1908, so that 

 the members of the firm are now J. Gibson 

 Mcllvain, Hugh Mcllvain third, J. Gib- 

 son Mcllvain, Jr., and Walter B. McHvain. 



The location of the business when it was 

 first organized was very advantageous, being 

 at the junction of three main thoroughfares. 

 West Chester road, old Lancaster turnpike 

 and Darby road, now known as Market street, 

 Lancaster avenue and Woodland avenue, re- 

 spectively; Market street is the main thor- 

 oughfare of Philadelphia proper, and in 

 close proximity to the Schuylkill river, re- 

 quiring only a short haul from the rafts to 

 the yard; at that time considerable of the 

 lumber was hauled by wagons from the sur- 

 rounding country. 



NUMBER LXX. 



This site was occupied till 1852, when 

 another property at the northwest corner of 

 Thirty-fourth and Market streets was pur- 

 chased and the business removed. In 1872 

 another piece of ground was purchased at 

 Thirty-sixth and Market streets, owing to 

 the rapidly growing business. Later on, in 

 1892, business still increasing, J. Gibson Mc- 

 Hvain and Hugh Mcllvain purchased the 

 property comprising about fifteen acres, be- 

 tween Woodland avenue. Grays avenue. Fifty- 

 sixth and Fifty-eighth streets, which had 

 originally belonged to their grandfather, 

 John Gibson. This was considered a most 

 suitable site on account of the Pennsylvania 

 and Baltimore & Ohio Railroads crossing each 

 other within it; also because within a short 

 haul of the Schuylkill river. After making 

 connections with both railroads, improving 

 the property and building the largest lumber 

 shed in the United States, with a capacity 

 for 16,000,000 feet and railroad tracks run- 

 ning through it; the new yard was stocked 

 with selected hardwoods and building lum- 

 ber, and in 1898, the company's centennial 

 year, the offices were removed to the new 

 yard. Within a few years after this the 

 business grew to such an extent that they 

 soon had most of the fifteen acres well cov- 

 ered with lumber, carrying probably the 

 heaviest stock of any yard in Philadelphia. 



About 8 o'clock in the evening of March 

 27, 1906, fire was discovered under the shed, 

 the origin of which is unknown. The entire 

 center of the yard, including the shed and 

 10,000,000 feet of lumber, the most of the 

 carefully selected stock, was destroyed, cost- 

 ing the company $335,000. This was doubt- 

 less as choice and well selected a stock of 

 hardwood and white pine as was ever ac- 

 cumulated in any one place and furnished 

 the most spectacular fire that ever occurred 

 in Philadelphia, the light from the flames be- 

 ing visible for many miles. The city of Cape 

 May, over sixty miles distant, fearing a great 

 conflagration, communicated with the author- 

 itic-i nl Pliil.i'lr-lphia for information, and it 

 «a^ oli-nv.d tliat large flocks of birds, in- 

 cluding iluck-^ and geese, were attracted by 

 the light for many miles and flew into the 

 flames. 



On account of the changing conditions — 

 the property surrounding the yard having 

 been built up as a residential section and the 

 firm 's wholesale business having increased — 

 they did not rebuild the sheds, but continued 

 to handle carload lots of hardwood, expect- 

 ing to sell the property for building pur- 

 poses. In the meantime they established new 

 offices in the Crozer building, 1420 Chestnut 

 street, Philadelphia, where they have con- 

 tinued to push their growing wholesale hard- 

 wood trade, shipping direct from stocks they 

 now carry at the mills and various other 

 points to all parts of the United States. 



J. Gibson Mcllvain, whose picture we pre- 

 sent as supplement to this issue, has been a 



member of this old firm for forty-two years. 

 During this long career the lumber business 

 has seen many changes. Shortly before he 

 went into the business lumber was brought 

 into Philadelphia by rafts or vessel in a 

 rough state, and during the winter months 

 it was customary to work cargoes of flooring 

 from the rough yellow pine by hand, but ma- 

 chinery soon supplante#'4.iys "old method and 

 boards were bought in vessel lots and worked 

 in Philadelphia. It was the same with near- 

 ly all branches of the business; there were 

 no doors, sash, mouldings, etc., worked by 

 the mills in the West and shipped in. The 

 company always carried a large stock of 

 good white pine, hardwoods, hemlock and 

 yellow pine. Walnut in those days was one 

 of the woods which was handled a great deal. 



J. Gibson Mcllvain applied all his energies 

 to the business. He made trips into the 

 West and bought large blocks of walnut and 

 other hardwoods, had them shipped into Phil- 

 adelphia and sold them in that vicinity. The 

 business grew very fast under his manage- 

 ment and in 1888, when his brother Hugh was 

 admitted to the firm, it had a still greater 

 impetus to it and through their combined 

 efforts and continuous application of their 

 energies they were more and more successful. 



Mr. Mcllvain also has other interests be- 

 sides the lumber business. He holds consid- 

 erable real estate and timber lands. He is 

 president of the Frank P. Miller Paper Com- 

 pany, located at Downingtown, Pa., which 

 is a thriving .and growing concern. His 

 brother Hugh is vice-president of this cor- 

 poration; and both are oflicers and directors 

 in other companies. Mr. Mcllvain has also 

 been an active member and manager of the 

 Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of 

 Cruelty to Animals for many years. He 

 takes great interest in this beneficiary work, 

 which has done an untold amount of good 

 to people all over the country. Through the 

 activities of this and other humane societies 

 the twenty-eight hour law was passed and the 

 percentage of live stock lost in transit was 

 reduced to the minimum. 



He has a fine farm near Downingtown, 

 Pa., comprising about 225 acres, with a fine 

 spring up on the hill, water from which 

 flows by gra\-ity to all the buildings on the 

 farm. The spacious brick house is Sur- 

 rounded by handsome trees and an orchard 

 of fine fruit trees of many varieties. Mr. 

 Mcllvain loves the country and its environ- 

 ments. At the age of sixty-five he loves to 

 drive and ride horseback and run an auto- 

 mobile, and spends considerable time in the 

 saddle, taking some long jaunts. He has 

 always been fond of hunting and fishing and 

 in 1896, with his son Gibson and two friends, 

 made an extended trip to the Eocky moun- 

 tains. They spent about three months there, 

 most of the time from 100 to 250 miles from 

 a railroad. It gives them both the great- 

 est pleasure to think of this most delightful 



