CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



berlands, containing large numbers of such trees as the oaks, 

 walnuts, elms, hickories, maples and pines". The principal 

 softwood was yellow pine, though this did not grow in pure 

 stands, generally. White pine was often found but was said to 

 be of an inferior quality. Scrub pine was abundant, especially 

 in poor, gravelly soils; and the other two indigenous pine?, as 

 well as red cedar and hemlock, grew in small numbers locally. 



Early Settlements and the Lumber Industry. 



George Washington speaks of ''a great company of people, 

 men, women, and children who followed us through the woods" 

 when he was sui'veying in the South Branch valley in the spring 

 of 1748. The "people" referred to— who all spoke ''dutch"— 

 were Germans Vv^ho had settled this region at that early date in 

 considerable numbers. That is, settlement began in this county 

 over 150 years ago. For the first 100 years, at least, there was 

 little timber cut for commercial purposes; but vast quantities 

 were necessarily destroyed by fire during this period and much 

 was used for various purposes about the pioneers' homes. Mr. 

 I. H. G. Pancake, of Romney, states that in an early day there 

 was no general shipment of lumber out of the county and that 

 most of the lumber for home use was sawed on the old-time 

 water saw mills, several of which vv^ere located on the streams at 

 various points. In 1835 there were 9 of these water saw mills, 1 

 cabinet maker's shop, 2 wagon maker's shops, 2 chair-making 

 establishments and 3 tan yards in Hampsliire county. The 

 principal lumber sawed on the water mills was vellow pine and 

 a little yellow poplar and other of the softer woods. 



A limited shipment of lumber from the northern end of the * 

 county followed the building of the main Baltimore and Ohio 

 railroad, and before that time there had been some floating done 

 on the South Branch and the Great Cacapon. 



From the year 1875 to 1885 considerable lumber was sawed 

 in the vicinity of Romney and traded to merchants for goo :1s. 

 Good yelloAv pine was valued at $9.00 a thousand feet. A part 

 of this lumber vvas disposed of to lumber dealers and the rest 

 stacked near the stores and sold in small or large quantities to 



