In the Days of Washington and Lincoln

Trees cut in the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century were bound together as a raft and floated down the Cape Fear River to saw mills around the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina. A large number of these trees, called “sinkers,” were so dense they sank to the bottom of the river, and in a time when America was covered by plentiful forests, there was no need-or method- to retrieve the stray trees from the depths of the river.

Today, a bountiful supply of these centuries-old trees remains in the sediment of the Cape Fear River, preserved in pristine condition by cool waters devoid of oxygen. The wood is in better condition than if it had been on land. Once brought to the surface and milled, the rich smell of the old growth timber is still as robust today as it was hundreds of years ago.

Downed by pioneer loggers and preserved by the cool dark waters in the bed of the Cape Fear River since the early days of America, trees today are harvested from the river that produce hardwood floors, solid wood counter tops, furniture and other wood products of remarkable quality and beauty. Using environmentally approved techniques, loggers recover the old growth timber from the depths of the Cape Fear River and mill it for distinguished homes and other buildings all over America.

Wood of this caliber, with growth predating the American Revolution, is no longer grown anywhere in the world. The dense, tightly-woven rings of these exceptional heart pine and cypress trees cannot be matched by wood mass produced by modern tree farms for today’s hardwood floors and other wood products. This high grade wood, estimated at up to 700 years old, has 10 to 20 rings per inch or more compared with 3 to 4 rings per inch from typical new-growth forests.

The deep, rich patina of lumber from the Cape Fear River instills a sense of history and quality in every wood product produced, including hardwood floors and other wood products that are perfectly suited to accent the character and style of fine homes, office buildings, churches, historic restorations and other architecturally distinctive buildings.

This superb quality wood is used for floors, wainscoting, wall paneling, hand-crafted furniture, Adirondack chairs, counter tops, butcher blocks, mantles, hand rails, stair treads, picture frame molding, crown molding and a host of other uses. With its dense grain, deep color, unparalleled quality, and rich history, environmentally sound harvesting allows this aged wood to be reborn from the Cape Fear River.