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March 2004

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The Aldridge Sawmill was first constructed by Hal Aldridge in 1905. The original mill was of wooden construction, and the equipment both for the construction and for the actual mill operations was brought into the site by ox cart. In 1906, the Burr's Ferry, Browndel & Chester Railway built a spur into the mill, and a town grew up around the mill. By 1911, there were 76 buildings at Aldridge including houses, a warehouse, hotel, company store, and company offices. Later that year, the wooden mill structure burned down and a new mill was constructed using hand- poured concrete. The new mill with its updated equipment produced 125,000 board feet of lumber per day. In 1918, the mill was sold to Kirby Lumber Company who continued to run it on a limited basis until 1923 when it was finally closed. The last of the township itself was abandoned in 1927, and the site was subsequently acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in 1935.
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Image Modified: 10:52:14 PMSaturday, April 17, 2004