Maplewood History: The Maplewood Planing Mill and Stair Company Part 3

By
Doug Houser
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1
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The mules replacement--a 1923 Autocar truck. Alan Blood, grandson of the founder, Albert, told me of his admiration of the solid construction and meticulous craftsmanship that went into this vehicle. He said the engine was so finely made and balnced that once during a rebuild he could turn the crankshaft with his hands. the truck is now in the collection of the St. Louis County Museum of Transportation.

As you may have guessed we’re not done with this subject yet.  Far from it.  Here are ten more photos to add to your scrapbook.

I should mention that these blog posts are proving to be disturbingly short lived.  The last time I tried to find the approximately 100 that I posted on the Maplewood Patch website, I couldn’t find any.  It has been a year and a half  since I began posting on the 40 South News website.  We have already lost some of the photos.  I think this is my 80th or 81st post each usually containing 6 to 10 photos. That is a lot of information to have disappear.

I construct these on the 40 South News platform.  They exist in this form nowhere else.  If you enjoy them I urge you to copy them.  When I’m done (and no time soon, I hope) the Maplewood Public Library will get my hard drives.  Still it would take a massive amount of work to reconstruct these posts.

Hope you enjoy these next ten photos.

The aforementioned Mule Palace before and after restoration. Nice job!
The aforementioned Mule Palace before and after restoration. Nice job!
The famous mules bringing another load of lumber up Sutton from the railroad tracks. The commercial building and the church still exist just north of Hazel on the east side of Sutton.
The famous mules bringing another load of lumber up Sutton from the railroad tracks. The commercial building and the church still exist just north of Hazel on the east side of Sutton.
The lumber yard of the Maplewood Mill. No wonder those mules get cranky.
The lumber yard of the Maplewood Mill. No wonder those mules get cranky.
Another view of the lumberyard. The backs of the homes in the 7400 block of Hazel are visible.
Another view of the lumberyard. The backs of the homes in the 7400 block of Hazel are visible.
The mules replacement--a 1923 Autocar truck. Alan Blood, grandson of the founder, Albert, told me of his admiration of the solid construction and meticulous craftsmanship that went into this vehicle. He said the engine was so finely made and balnced that once during a rebuild he could turn the crankshaft with his hands. the truck is now in the collection of the St. Louis County Museum of Transportation.
The mules replacement–a 1923 Autocar truck. Alan Blood, grandson of the founder, Albert, told me of his admiration of the solid construction and meticulous craftsmanship that went into the creation of this vehicle. He said the engine was so finely made and balanced that once during a rebuild he could turn the crankshaft with his hands. The truck is now in the collection of the St. Louis County Museum of Transportation.
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Alan Blood is at the wheel of the same truck in this photo.  Then, L to R are Pat and Walter Blood, Carl Friedwald and Billy “Heavy” Bowles.
An unidentified man standing on the roof of the current mill building. he is apparently looking at the scaffolding being used to construct the chimney which was thoughtfully saved during restoration. the original tar paper covered mill building can still be seen as can the Saratoga Lanes building.
An unidentified man standing on the roof of the current mill building. He is apparently looking at the scaffolding being used to construct the chimney which was thoughtfully saved during restoration. The original tar paper covered mill building can be seen as can the Saratoga Lanes building.  All of the historic images are courtesy of Alan Blood.
Here is well known Maplewood personality, Matt Williams, photographed in 2007 standing just a few feet to the south of the man in the last photo. Behind Matt is the giant cyclone dust collector which was crucial to the mill's operation. The dust collector was removed during the renovation. I will have more on this later. Matt and his wife Jennifer are proprietor's of two of Maplewood's best known business, TKO DJS and The st. Louis Closet company. matt was kind enough to invite me along as he inspected the mill building which he had an option to buy.
Here is well known Maplewood personality, Matt Williams, photographed in 2007 standing just a few feet to the south of the man in the last photo. Behind Matt is the giant cyclone dust collector which was crucial to the mill’s operation. The dust collector was removed during the renovation. I will have more on this later. Matt and his wife Jennifer are proprietors of two of Maplewood’s best known businesses, TKO DJS and The St. Louis Closet company. Matt was kind enough to invite me along as he inspected the mill building which he had an option to buy.

 

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