Weed Historic Lumber Town Museum
Exhibits
We have 2000 square feet of important period artifacts and exhibits of everyday life. Some of the notable exhibits are mentioned below, and others include sports memorabilia, early medical services, and even a stage coach.
Fire Safety
When Abner Weed built his first sawmill in 1901 and a second one next to it in 1902 in what was to become the town of Weed, there was no fire department. Everyone that worked at the plant was expected to respond to any fire around the plant or the town when the fire whistle blew. Mr. Weed built a concrete reservoir on top of a hill west of town to supply the fire lines and the hydrants installed around the plant and town. Three or four men could string out any number of feet of hose and have water on a fire in a matter of minutes.
In 1923, Long-Bell Lumber Company (the majority stockholder of Weed Lumber Company since 1905) built a new firehouse. The company bought 2 new American LaFrance fire engines; one was delivered to the Weed operation (middle) and one to the Longview, WA Long-Bell operation (lower). The restored engine (upper) was manufactured in 1924 and first sold to Long-Bell in 1925).
Courtesy of Longview Union Fire Fighters, Local 828, Longview, WA
Period Kitchen
This room represents an early turn-of-the-century fully equipped kitchen. Showcased are typical Italian-American accessories, (i.e., ravioli rolling pin, bread or cheese grater, pasta maker, and cruet set). The Buffalo Fine China was a safety award distributed by the lumber company, monogrammed with Long-Bell Lumber Company on it. We also have an early 20th century bedroom exhibit, and displays of early sporting activities and team photos.
Two horse teams - 1910
(Left) Rooming House #1
Two horse teams - 1910
Logging and Lumber
Abner purchased Maxwell's sawmill February 29, 1896 which was located near the North slope of Black Butte, and operated there until he purchased a 280-acre plot of land for $400 as a new mill site (where Weed's current fire station now stands). With the building of the 2 new mills, he also built boarding houses, worker row housing, a company store, company offices, a post office, and a machine shop. In 1905, the Long-Bell Lumber Company purchased all remaining stock in Weed's mill & holdings. In 1917, Long-Bell began building a new mill that would become the largest sawmill in the world at that time. Visit us for extensive displays with photos of interior mill activities, logging camps, and equipment.