Hall's Wood's Mill Road Named for W. A. Wood, Hall, Georgia http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/hall/newspapers/wood4.txt ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb Project policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. GAGenWeb Archives File Manager, Hall County Carolyn Golowka, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Bill Stephenson, February 2001 Transcription by William L. Stephenson, Jr. Reprinted by permission granted to William L. Stephenson, Jr. by Sybil McRay to be placed in the ALGenWeb Archives, part of the USGenWeb Project. Hall's Wood's Mill Road named for W. A. Wood The Times of Gainesville - Sybil McRay The obituary dated January 20, 1926 stated that Mr. W. A. Wood, 78 years old, was badly injured by a fall on ice near his home on Green Street Circle on December 9th and never recovered from his injury. "Mr. Wood has led an active life and was an influence for good in the commercial, civic, and social life of the city," was stated in the article. Wood's Mill Road in Gainesville was named for William A. Wood. "Mr. Wood served a term as postmaster of Gainesville, by appointment of President Harrison in 1890, and his record was a highly creditable one. In earlier days he engaged in merchandising and was at one time a partner of K. L. Boone." Boone owned one of the merchandising stores on the square for many years. "Wood ran a tanning business at Wood's mill and also engaged in the manufacture of shoes. He later sold out to Finger & Shelly." A reporter for the "Eagle" wrote a series of articles on Gainesville's Manufactories and one published article in 1894 described the Gainesville Oak Tannery which was owned and operated by William A. Wood at Wood's Mill. "..... one of the reporters took advantage of an unusually pretty day by making a visit of inspection to The Gainesville Oak Tannery,' better known, perhaps to the people as 'Wood's Tanyard.'" The Tannery was located west of the public square just beyond the incorporate limits, on a tract of some 70 acres which were owned by W. A. Wood. "The tannery is immediately on the public road, and on a beautiful stream which seems made for the business." There was formerly a grist-mill in connection with the Tannery but it had since been abandoned because of the increasing business of tanning hides. The grist- mill owned by Wood probably was called Wood's Mill and thus given as name of the road. The present-day Wood's Mill Road branches off Oak Street and goes in front of Gainesville Junior High School. Mr. Wood was the sold proprietor of the Oak Tannery. "We found him hard at work in the finishing room, for Mr. Wood, since his departure from the post-office, is becoming a first-class tanner. He stopped long enough to show us over the establishment. "It consists of several buildings containing several thousand feet of floor space." Fifteen persons were employed regularly and occasionally there were more employees. The capacity of the Tannery was 80,000 pounds of hides yearly. The hides were shipped from all parts of Georgia and from South Carolina.. Mr. Wood stated that the consumption of tan bark amounted to $2,500 per annum. He showed the reporter through the manufactory and explained the process of tanning hides which is of interest today since such hides are used by shoe industries. There was the beam room where the greed hides were first put into lime vats. From there the hides went to the finishing rooms where the leather came out for the shoe and harness factories There were eight lime vats, pools, and bates, liquor vats and seven leaches in the Tannery. The machinery consisted of stuffing and scouring wheels, bark mills, etc. and all moved by water power. In the beam room there were about 120 hides opened up during the week and there were 3,500 hides in various processings. "I make principally upper and harness leather," stated Mr. Wood. "The former I dispose of to the factory here and at Anderson, South Carolina; the latter I sell at other points. Just now I am running just as much as I can with the present power and hope in the next two months to add a 50 or 60 horse-power engine which will increase power about one-fourth. The additional will be for sole leather. I shall then use only chestnut and Spanish oak bark in tanning since this makes the prettiest leather." William A. Wood died January 19, 1926. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are both buried at Alta Vista Cemetery, Gainesville. Elizabeth Wood died April 24, 1925. One son and three daughters survived the couple: Dr. Walter Wood, Springtown, Texas; Mrs. T. C. Conway, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Mrs. George Latham, Atlanta; and Mrs. H. J. Brandson, Gainesville. Wood's Mill Road which was named for Billy Wood once was traveled with people interested in the Grist-mill and the business people riding in buggies and wagons hauling leather or raw hides. The road is now the main thorough-fare for parents driving children to school in automobiles or school buses delivering their riders.