Belford Lumber Company
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of journals, artifacts, files, and documents related to the operation of the Belford Lumber Company.
The most significant artifact is the C. S. Belford Master Carpenter’s Tool Chest. This tool chest was made by Belford for his Master Carpenter’s certification in the 1890s and was loaded on the wagon he drove to all building sites.
Other materials in this collection include Contract Ledgers 1910–1924, Minutes from the stockholder meetings 1892–1967, Journals, rent ledgers, stock sales records and certificates 1892-1968, samples and sample books, as well as spec sheets and blueprints of various homes identified only by original buyer, addition and lot number.
One item from the original accession was listed as an Expanding File and contained folded documents. The papers in this file have been flattened and placed in file folders in a document case and are organized by alphabetic letter as they were in the expanding file. The papers cover a time period of 1925–1949 with many of the liens/deeds of trust dating from the depression years. These lien/deeds indicated that property such as homes, land, farming equipment or cattle were to be given to Belford Lumber Company as collateral for home construction or supplies purchased. There are ledger pages of amounts owed/paid, sheets of figures, tax receipts, and some correspondence.
Many of the collection’s fourteen blueprints have spec sheets for the buildings contained in the files. Some plans are for unidentified buildings, and many are identified by the name of the person contracting the building or by addition and lot number; no street addresses are shown on the plans. There is a small group of artifacts that were items used in the offices such as glue pots, ink stands and tin measuring cups. The Belford Lumber Company seal and a sample of the razors sold under the title “Belford Safety Razor” are also part of the collection.
Note to researchers: In order to find the contract date or other building information about a specific Belford structure, you will need to know the name of the person who made the original contract for construction with the Belford Lumber Company.
Dates
- Majority of material found in 1890–1982
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Southwestern University Distinctive Collections and Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the collections and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from SU Distinctive Collections and Archives before any publication use. Distinctive Collections does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.
Biographical / Historical
The Belford Lumber Company was a well-known and respected business that operated in Georgetown, Texas, from 1891 until 1967. This company built some of the most architecturally and historically significant buildings and homes in Georgetown. C. S. Belford, the company’s founder, was known by other builders of his time as one of the best judges of construction in the state. He created a large operation of construction, building supplies, wagons, and buggies that was located on West 7th Street. While Belford supervised all construction, A. W. Sillure, Vice President, selected all building materials and managed all bookkeeping for the company.
Many meticulously crafted Belford homes and buildings still exist in Georgetown and surrounding areas. Belford would not use inferior lumber and tolerated no chimney a fraction of an inch off plumb.
C. S. Belford operated the Belford Lumber Company from 1891 until his death in 1929. The company continued operations under the direction of A. W. Sillure and Fred Belford through the depression years and stiff competition until it officially closed its doors in 1967.
Extent
15 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the SU Special Collections & Archives Repository