Woodson Lumber Company

Brothers James R. (Jim) (1884-1940) and Harrie P. Woodson, Jr. (1892-1974) left their home in Richmond, Missouri after their mother died in 1912. In California they worked in a lumberyard, with Harrie as a laborer and Jim in the office. Jim made his way to texas in late 1912 and Harrie arrived in 1913. When they learned that Reeves-Slliman Lumber Company was for sale, they partnered with D.E. Reeves. Area population growth and a booming east Texas timber market made Caldwell an ideal location for the retail lumber industry. The Reeves-Woodson Lumber Company opened on December 1, 1913, and soon became the area’s primary source for building materials. In 1916 the name changed to Woodson Lumber Company. The company’s building materials, household items and supplies equipped a majority of homes and other buildings in the area. The business helped families establish homes as the area grew, particularly in the 1910s and again during the post-war boom of the late 1940s to 1950s. Proximity to the railroad depot made unloading and delivering materials convenient. The company also expanded to more than a dozen retail locations throughout the region and across Texas beginning in 1924. In 1946, after Harrie’s two sons-in-law returned from World War II service, the company’s second generation joined the family business. The Woodson brothers were also active in their community, with Jim serving as an alderman and acting chamber of commerce president and Harrie serving as First United Methodist Church trustee and building committee chairman. In 1974, the city’s Harrie P. Woodson Memorial Library was dedicated in his honor. Woodson Lumber Company has had the privilege of serving multiple generations of neighbors over more than 100 years in the same family.

Woodson Lumber Company is a historical marker in Caldwell, Burleson County, dedicated in 2013. It is one of 69 historical markers documented in Burleson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 133 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.5272, -96.6980 near Caldwell. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Reeves-Womack House, First Baptist Church, and First United Methodist Church of Caldwell.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507017727. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.