Clay County’s Timber Boom

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Clay County, Tennessee, experienced a major timber boom that transformed the local economy. Over twenty sawmills operated by 1890, producing millions of board feet of lumber. Logs were floated down the Cumberland River to markets like Nashville, and the county’s population and property values surged. By the 1930s, portable “peckerwood” sawmills became common, processing large amounts of timber on-site.

However, widespread clearcutting soon led to deforestation, erosion, and a sharp industry decline. The collapse of the timber economy hit hard during the Great Depression. Clay County’s experience mirrored trends across Appalachia, eventually prompting conservation efforts like the Weeks Act of 1911. The county later shifted to pulpwood harvesting and began reforestation efforts. Today, remnants of this era can still be found in the region’s landscape and local history.