LOT of 25 rppcs RAINE ANDREWS LUMBER CO RAL Evenwood WV LOGGING, STORE, TRAIN For Sale

LOT of 25 rppcs ! RAINE ANDREWS LUMBER CO RAL Evenwood WV LOGGING, STORE, TRAIN

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An important photo archive documenting early 20th century West Virginia industry.  A lot of 25 circa 1910 real photo postcards (rppc) depicting the Raine-Andrew Company (RAC) logging operation in Evenwood, WV.  Started by Thomas and John Raine with eventual financial backing from Andrew of Pennsylvania, the company became the largest hardwood sawmill in the world.  After the purchase of over 100,000 acres, they created the Sewell Valley Railroad Company (eventually the Meadow River Railroad) to bring a spur line to the wilderness. In 1913 the town of Rainelle was constructed, which included newly constructed houses, boarding houses and a company store.  Raines was known as a model operations manager and provided the employees families with access to schools, a physician and other amnenites.  The remote nature of the location made it necessary to recruit labor from outside the region.   The bulk of their business was hardwood oak flooring however additional products lines were added over the course of their history (ie. auto under body carriages, wooden shoe heels, etc.)

Postcards include: a photo of the company store & company boarding house, saw mill (identified in the negative as: R.A.L, CO\'s Mill, Evenwood W. Va, Sold by the R.A.L., CO\'s Store), occupational photos of workers with saws and axes, a log train carrying logs to market (marked RAL Co.), a log train with a man swinging from crane (probably to make work easier and faster), numerous photos of men with their horses, horses pulling logs, a staged fist fight, a \"corduroy\" bridge, a tool grinding stone in front of a building, a worker with dog and horses, a worker with pocket watch, company housing and worker\'s families onsite.

Some postcards have pencil writing on back, names, addresses and a short note.  One identifies a few workers by name pictured on the front. Some where mailed with postage and cancellation postmarks reading; September 2, 1909 from Clover Lick, May 30, 1910 from Evenwood, February 9, 1911 from Evenwood, May 7, 1912 from Evenwood, December 4, 1912 from Evenwood and August 25, 1913 from Elkins.  Some have AZO mark printed postage stamp blocks.

Condition: light toning and soiling, occasional dings, scuffs, and edge bumps, bent corners and some curling to the photos.  Please see photos for additional condition review.  Questions welcome!