August 9, 2010

The early 1800s settlement of Richmond was renamed Cotton Plant (Woodruff County) when a post office was established there in 1852. The completion of the railroad through the town in the early twentieth century contributed to the growth of the timber industry. By 1920, the town was home to five large sawmills, seven woodworking factories, and the largest veneer plant in the state. Shown here are wagon loads of shingles being hauled from one of these turn-of-the-century industries.