Bentley & Emery Lumber

Company History: This company was established in 1907 with the construction of a sawmill in Richton, Mississippi on the Gulf Mobile & Northern mainline to Mobile. The B&ELCo name was adopted the following year. A standard gauge logging railroad was built into the longleaf yellow pine forests to the west and south of the mill. A second, larger mill was built in Richton in 1910. The railroad spread out to the northwest. In 1917, the large mill was closed, packed up and moved to the northwest corner of the railroad and reestablished in Ovett. The railroad now moved logs to the mill and lumber to the GM&N. B&ELCo had four locomotives, all purchased new. There were two 2-6-2’s ordered from Baldwin and a 37 ton Shay and an 80 ton Shay built by Lima. Late in 1928, the company’s lands were cut over and the mill and railroad closed.

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