“This company has a very large and flourishing establishment at Herrin for its main business, with important branches at Marion, Johnson City and DeSoto. It is successor to the W. N. Stotlar Lumber Co., the Paul Herrin Lumber Co. and the Johnson City Lumber Co., and was incorporated May 1, 1901, with $20,000 cash capital. It handles everything used in building a frame house from turret to foundation. Its lumber is principally Yellow Pine and Cypress. It does an immense volume of business under the active management of its officers and branch managers. In 1901 they sent to their main house at Herrin at one shipment no less than 21 cars of lumber, followed the day after by two more belated ones, giving them the nice little job of unloading 23 cars from the track at one time.
This is the largest single shipment of lumber ever made into the County. Of course, this rate is not kept up, but the tremendous development of the mining industry throughout the district has given all branches of business a rapid and permanent growth, and structures of all kinds are springing up everywhere. New towns are being started and the old ones improved as by the hand of the magician, and the building trades are flourishing. This has given all dealers in material a tremendous rush of business which bids fair to continue for many years, or until new mines cease to be opened. The coal in the district is not only the best in the United States, but is in such vast quantity as to be practically inexhaustible.
The present officers of the corporation are W. N. Stotlar, president; Thomas Stotlar, vice president; E.M. Stotlar, secretary; Harry Stotlar, treasurer. The directors are Fred Stotlar, Paul Herrin and C. C. Stotlar. The branch managers are Fred Stotlar, Herrin; E. M. Stotlar, Marion; C. C. Stotlar, Johnson City; Henry Stotlar, DeSoto. They give constant employment in Marion to an average of 10 men besides the active force of the officers, and yard masters in the four branches.” -1905 Souvenir Book
The first Stotlar Herrin Lumber yard of Marion in 1901 was located at 600 N. Market St. up through 1930. By 1930 the lumber company had sold its location to Kaeser Lumber Company and relocated to 200 ½ W. Main St. doing business also as Stotlar Herrin Coal. They were listed at this address in the business directories up through 1955.
Still maintained in 2012 are Stotlar Herrin Lumber in Johnston City, Benton and West Frankfort. They have maintained a constant business presence throughout Southern Illinois continuously for over one hundred years and at one time operated 15 lumber yards throughout Southern Illinois.
Editor’s Note: There is quite an extensive article on Stotlar Herrin Lumber Company written up in the booklet “Williamson County in the World War-1919” which is available for free download. See Links Page.
(Photos and data from 1905 Souvenir book, Williamson County Historical Society and City Directories, Williamson County in the World War, 1919;compiled and edited by Sam Lattuca on 12/31/2012)