In their book The Sawdust Empire: The Texas Lumber Industry 1830-1940 (1983) Robert S Maxwell and Robert D. Baker describe some of the working conditions of the African-Americans in the lumber industry. African-Americans made up from one third to one half of the workforce in East Texas saw mills. They were often given the worst jobs at the lowest pay. Their neighborhoods were segregated in what was known as the "quarter" in the mill towns. Many workers could expect to be paid two dollars a day. And charged up to six dollars a month for rent. Despite this treatment they were often grateful to have a job that provided the means to rent a home and provide food and some education for their families.
The East Texas Research Center's photo collection contains over 11,000 cataloged photographs and slides, arranged according to subject. Emphasis of the photo collection is the immediate East Texas area, Nacogdoches, Stephen F. Austin State University, and the lumber industry. The following photos were taken from the Sawdust Empire Collection and from the Thompson Family Lumber Enterprises Collection. They are illustrative of the life and work of African-Americans in the lumber industry in East Texas at the turn of the century.
(click on the photo to view entire image)
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Charlotte Sample, former slave. (Photo number P90T:176) |
Russ Muckleroy with his mother, Charlotte Sample (Photo Number P90T:177) |
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Lumbermen Displaying Recently Cut Trees (Photo Number P90S:28) |
Two Men Cutting a Log (Photo Number P90S:137) |
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Family in Front of Their Home (Photo Number P90T:173) |
Youth Standing in Field |
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Youth Standing In Kitchen Next to Woodburning Stove |
Three Men Leaning Against Fence in Front of Boxcar |
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