Lowery-Whiting Collection

Lowery-Whiting Collection

The Lowery-Whiting Collection, provided to the Digital Watauga Project by Michael S. Lowery, features images and documentation of the Whiting Lumber Company at Shulls Mill, NC. Mr. Lowery digitized these items himself.

The Shulls Mill lumber operation was spearheaded by William Scott Whiting (1871-1952) who moved to North Carolina and started a lumber operations in 1892. Whiting's lumber mills spread throughout the Appalachian mountains before he eventually started the operation in Shulls Mill circa 1915. For more information about Whiting's lumber operations, please refer to documentation provided by Michael S. Lowery, great-grandson of Whiting, in Series 7 of this collection.

Series 1 contains four black and white photographs, dated from circa 1912 to 1913. These images show the Shulls Mill Valley in Watauga County, NC, prior to the construction of the Whiting Lumber Mill. Grandfather Mountain and the Whiting's home, "Ottaray," are visible in these images.

Series 2 contains nine black and white images, dated circa 1915-1916, of Shulls Mill, NC, and the Whiting Lumber Mill. Various portions of the mill can be seen, such as the kiln yards, log pond, and Boone Fork Lumber Company commissary.

Series 3 contains eight black and white images, dated circa 1918, of the inner workings of Whiting's mill in Shulls Mill, NC. These images show the interior of the mill shop, the valley's first steam electric plant, and the water tower.

Series 4 contains 13 black and white images, some dated from 1913-1914 and the rest from 1945. These image shows the Whiting's home, Ottaray, from early aerial views and later interior views. The images dated from 1945 were around the time the Whitings sold Ottaray and left Shulls Mill, NC.

Series 5 contains 12 black and white images, dated circa 1916, of the actual logging operations by Whiting in Watauga County, NC. These images show skidders lifting logs, trains hauling them, and the clear cutting of forests. These images also offer glimpses of the railroad line that was used to haul lumber to the mill.

Series 6 consists of three maps, two newspaper clippings, and three black and white photographs. The maps show various aspects of the Boone Fork Lumber Company, such as railways, timber holdings, and a Linville River Railway track map of Shulls Mill, NC. The newspaper articles, dated circa 1970, show images of Boone Fork Lumber Company at its prime. Portraits of a younger William S. Whiting and a later one of him and his wife, Carrie, can be found in this series.

Series 7 consists of two documents created by Michael S. Lowery regarding this history of Whiting and his lumber operations.

Michael S. Lowery

Michael S. Lowery has generously agreed to share these images with Digital Watauga through a digital use rights deed of gift. Any reprinting, redistribution, or other use of these images outside of Digital Watauga requires written permission from Michael S. Lowery. Contact Digital Watauga for additional details.