From the Nicholas Republican
Richwood, West Virginia
Thursday, April 21, 1921
Headline: Richwood's Chief Industries
Wm. F. Mosser Co., the largest sole leather tannery in the world;
tans the hides from 1200 cattle each day and ships daily one car load
of finished sole leather; incoming freight 20 cars per day; employs
465 men; annual pay roll $600,000.00. Large extract plant in connection.
FULTON MANUFACTURING CO. The largest Clothespin factory in the world;
produces 220 car loads or 240,000,000 clothespins, 240 carloads or 120,00,000
wooden dishes annually, requiring therefor[e] 5,000,000 feet of logs;
employs 75 to 215 men and women; annual pay roll $100,000.00.
CHERRY RIVER PAPER CO. The largest paper mill in West Virginia or
the South; makes and ships 75 tons or three car loads of wrapping, bag
and speciality papers per day; incoming freight 25 cars per day; employs
420 men and women; annual pay roll $700.000.00; will expend $1,000,000
in improvements beginning at once.
CHERRY RIVER BOOM & LUMBER CO. Mills at Richwood and Gauley Mills;
the Richwood mill alone with daily output of 160,000 feet of lumber
being the largest saw mill, but one in West Virginia; has 18 locomotives
and 120 miles of standard gauge railroad; employs 1100 men; annual pay
roll $1,250,000.00; ships daily 28 cars of lumber, laths and bi-products
from the Richwood mill alone; machine shops in connection equipped to
handle anything from a lawn mower to a locomotive; has over 200,000
acres of forest lands and enough uncut lumber to keep the mills running
for over 20 years.
ELK LICK COAL CO. Employs 50 men and has an output of 3,000 tons
of New River coal per month. The Saxman Coal and Coke Co., only three
miles from Richwood employs 125 men and produces 8,500 tons of coal
per month. These items are small compared with Richwood's probable future
as a coal center.
RICHWOOD STORE CO. One of the large retail stores of the state; employs
22 persons and does a business of the Richwood branch alone of $600,000.00
per year.
J. D. WESTCOTT & SONS Employs 25 men, consumes 7 car loads of logs
and produces two cars of broom handles, chair rounds, etc., daily.
H. G. SHERWOOD CO. Manufacturer and exporter of wagon hubs.
The city of Richwood, West Virginia, Has:
- The largest sole leather tannery in the world.
- The largest paper mill in West Virginia or South.
- $14,000.00 annual postal receipts.
- $3,000.00 daily receipts at B&O depot for freight, passengers and
express.
- 3 Hotels, 4 Restaurants and 12 Rooming Houses.
- 50 Telephones.
- 3 banks in modern brick buildings.
- 1 High School in $65,000 brick building.
- 5 graded school buildings worth $45,000.00.
- 50 teachers in her public schools.
- 2 theaters.
- 2 hospitals.
- 4 dentists.
- 7 Pool rooms.
- 2 Meat markets.
- 4 Department stores. [check microfilm for number]
- 4 city buildings brick worth $25,000.00.
- 8 mills and factories, etc.
- The largest clothespin factory in the world.
- The largest lumber mill, but one, in West Virginia. - 1 second class
post office.
- 6,000 population.
- $5,500,000.00 assessed valuation of property.
- 400 Automobiles. - 6 churches with 1,600 membership.
- $2,000,000 in bank assets.
- 1 School Gymnasium, $40,000.00 brick building (Under Construction).
- 1,700 school children .
- 2 large recreation buildings.
- 12 physicians.
- 7 Barber shops.
- 2 Drug stores.
- 2 Hardware and Furniture stores.
- 32 Other stores.
- 1 Machine Shop.
- Best equipped printing plant in Central W.Va.
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