West Virginia Pulp and Paper Mill

The history of the town of Cass follows the evolution of the lumber companies that inhabited the valley and operated the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Mill. Once a symbol of the economic power that drove this valley, the mill building has been victim of two major fires in 1978 and 1982. Now only twisted steel and rusted machinery remain amid the cracking cement. Trees and vines grow in a place where humans once toiled among the machines of lumber and fine wood products production.

The mill operation was enormous during its heyday 1908 to 1922. It ran two 11-hour shifts six days per week, cutting 125,000 board feet of lumber each shift, an impressive 1.5 million feet of lumber per week. The Cass mill also had drying kilns using 11 miles of steam pipe to dry 360,000 board feet of lumber on each run.

The adjoining planing mill was three stories high, measuring 96 by 224 feet. Massive elevators carried up to 5,000 feet of lumber to the separate floors and machines. Some of the flooring machines were so big that it took 15 men to operate them. There were two resaws here that could accommmodate boards up to 35 feet long. The large surfacing machines finished all four sides of a board in one operation.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• West
• Virginia
• Pulp
• and
• Paper
• Mill
• Cass
• Scenic
• Railroad
• State
• Park

[steved0689]

Can you actually take tours to the inside of the boiler room or steam engine house??

[k3nk]

If you get the right interpreter!

[steved0689]

I just cant place it...what building is that at 1:19?? Can you help??

[k3nk]

I believe it is the pump house where they pulled water from the Leatherbark Run.

[k3nk]

We took a tour with an interpreter.

[jimvcscrap]

i hope is not to late but im interested to buy as scrap the hall mill if is for sale please respond prondly vcscrapmetal@gmail.com thanks

[97trainman]

Who would be the right interpreter to show you the boiler room and engine room?

[high6williams]

Very true to life. how did you capture all of the shots? Did you have special permission of were you watching your back?