Inventory of the Briggs Lumber Company Scrapbook, 1902 – 1965

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: In 1902 Nathan H. Briggs took his son, Roscoe C. Briggs, into partnership under the name of N. H. Briggs & Son. The firm would eventually become known formally as Briggs Lumber Company. For nearly a century three generations of the Briggs family would run a successful lumber company based in Oneonta, New York. From the 1940s to the early 1960s the company expanded, opening lumberyards in the New York towns of Afton, Cobleskill, Palatine Bridge, Sharon Springs, Roxbury, Norwich, Oxford, and Greene, as well as Dimock, Pennsylvania.

This collection includes one scrapbook that contains over 170 pages, featuring original photographs, catalogs, clippings, and more. The scrapbook’s text documents in detail the history of the Briggs Lumber Company and the growth of its operations over the first half of twentieth century.

Title: Briggs Lumber Company Scrapbook, 1902 – 1965

Creator: Briggs Lumber Company Inc.

Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives

Call Number: 2022-007

Language of Material: Material in English

Extent: 1.0 linear feet (1 scrapbook)

Historical Note

Nathan H. Briggs began operating small sawmills in Oneonta, New York, in 1885. In 1902 Briggs took his son, Roscoe C. Briggs, into partnership under the name of N. H. Briggs & Son. This firm would become Briggs Lumber Company. The company built a shed and yard on Delaware Ave in Oneonta, from which they operated for many decades. Over the 1950s and early 1960s the company expanded, opening lumberyards in the New York towns of Afton, Cobleskill, Palatine Bridge, Sharon Springs, Roxbury, Norwich, Oxford, and Greene, as well as Dimock, Pennsylvania.

Collection Overview

The collection includes one scrapbook that contains over 170 pages, featuring original photographs, catalogs, clippings, and more. The scrapbook’s text documents in detail the history of the Briggs Lumber Company and the growth of its operations over the first half of twentieth century.

Collection Arrangement

1. Scrapbook, 1902-1965

Subject Headings

• Forest products industry
• Lumber trade
• New York (State) Oneonta
• Oneonta (N.Y.) History

Detailed Description of the Collection

1. Scrapbook, 1902-1965.

Box 1

• Scrapbook: Briggs Lumber Company Inc.: The story of its past, which is the basis for its future.
  (173 page scrapbook, including about 100 photographs)
  **Photos from this scrapbook have been digitized and can be accessed online via the FHS Image Database.

View Briggs Lumber Company scrapbook online (PDF):
Briggs scrapbook, pages 1-20
Briggs scrapbook, pages 21-40
Briggs scrapbook, pages 41-60
Briggs scrapbook, pages 61-80
Briggs scrapbook, pages 81-100
Briggs scrapbook, pages 101-120
Briggs scrapbook, pages 121-140
Briggs scrapbook, pages 141-160
Briggs scrapbook, pages 161-173

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the Forest History Society’s archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Briggs Lumber Company Scrapbook, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.

Processing Information

Processed by Staff, 2022

Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.