According to notes found in the Southern Business History Center Papers, the German-American Lumber Company was organized in 1901 by Frederick Julius Schreyer, of Bremen, Germany, J.R. Saunders, and B.P. Jones. They began the operation with $100,000 in capital, and the main office in Pensacola, Florida. In 1906, Millville, Florida was made the site of operations. From 1907-1909, the company erected a new mill and expanded its business. Railroad tracks were laid and a locomotive purchased some time later. In 1913, the company's partners were Schreyer, Samuel J. Carpenter, and Mark L. Fleishel. About this time, the German-American Lumber Company absorbed several bankrupt companies. The St. Andrews Lumber Company was one such firm, and its papers are included in the collection.
During World War I, pro-German literature and guns were found at the mill, and in 1917, the Office of the United States Alien Property Custodian seized the mill. The mill was then renamed the American Lumber Company - popularly known in Bay County, Florida as ALCO. In 1919, it was bought by Minor C. Keith and Walter C. Sherman and renamed the St. Andrews Bay Lumber Company. During the mid 1920s, the Company was sold and became the Sherman Lumber Company. Because of timber depletion in the forests, the Millville mill closed in 1930 and burned on March 22, 1931.
From the guide to the German-American Lumber Company Records, 1887-1927, 1906-1920, (Repository Unknown)
