Tioga Sawmill Commissary - Tioga, LA
N 31° 23.013 W 092° 25.749
15R E 554277 N 3472251
Marker gives account of long gone swamill commissary that closed in 1981.
Waymark Code: WM11773
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 08/29/2019
Views: 1
The Iron Mountain Railroad pushed its lines into Central Louisiana in 1880. Five miles north of Pineville, Julius Levin built a sawmill beside the tracks. He named his town "Levin" which was later changed to "Tioga". A commissary was built at this time. In 1905, the mill built by Levin, was purchased by Stephen "Sword" Lee and the name changed to the Lee Lumber Company.
The commissary was a rural version of the uptown department store. The Tioga commissary offered everything needed in a normal household, including sewing fabric, work clothes, over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics, canned goods, fresh produce, meats, horse feed, hay and fencing. Ice cost 5 cents for a ten pound block.
The sawmill closed in 1925 when timber had been depleted; the houses and commissary purchased by Sam Allen. Mr. Sam continued to serve the community until 1947 when Rudolph Merritt, a long-time employee of the store, acquired the inventory. In 1981, this historic structure closed its doors as the community store.
Marker Name: Tioga Sawmill Commissary
Marker Type: Roadside
What does marker relate to?: Building
Parish: Rapides
Link to more information:: Not listed
Year Erected or Date Dedicated: Not listed
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