In the early 1700’s, pine tar and turpentine were in great demand in England. The virgin pine forests in North Carolina were dense with old growth pine trees that were so thick they grew very slowly, therefore making the wood very dense. These trees have up to 45 growth rings per inch, compared to 1 to 3 growth rings on modern soft pine. Some of these trees were over 200 years old in the 1700’s.
The sap from pine trees was harvested to produce the naval necessities of tar, pitch, turpentine, and resin. To harvest the sap, v-grooves called chevrons were cut by hand into the sides of the trees to drain its sap. When these trees died from harvesting the sap, they were cut and floated down the Cape Fear River to the sawmill to be made into lumber. Many of the logs were so dense from slow growth; they sank to the bottom of the river. With modern technology, we reclaim these logs from the bottom of the river. The logs without chevrons are made into beautiful flooring, doors, etc.
The chevron marked logs (simply called chevrons now) make beautiful mantle pieces filled with history and character. We let them air dry in our mill for about a year. They are in high demand and we only have a handful available at any given time. Since they are hand-hewn each one is different. The logs are preserved on the river bottom because they are not exposed to the damaging effects of air. The natural properties of the tree’s sap prevent them from becoming water logged. When we recover the logs and cut into them, they have that fresh pine smell - just like the day they were harvested over 200 years ago.
The sap from pine trees was harvested to produce the naval necessities of tar, pitch, turpentine, and resin. To harvest the sap, v-grooves called chevrons were cut by hand into the sides of the trees to drain its sap. When these trees died from harvesting the sap, they were cut and floated down the Cape Fear River to the sawmill to be made into lumber. Many of the logs were so dense from slow growth; they sank to the bottom of the river. With modern technology, we reclaim these logs from the bottom of the river. The logs without chevrons are made into beautiful flooring, doors, etc.
The chevron marked logs (simply called chevrons now) make beautiful mantle pieces filled with history and character. We let them air dry in our mill for about a year. They are in high demand and we only have a handful available at any given time. Since they are hand-hewn each one is different. The logs are preserved on the river bottom because they are not exposed to the damaging effects of air. The natural properties of the tree’s sap prevent them from becoming water logged. When we recover the logs and cut into them, they have that fresh pine smell - just like the day they were harvested over 200 years ago.