Colonial Millworks and Armstrong

Day three began with a trip to the old Elkins, WV train depot. This depot has been restored as part of a larger project to rebuild the old downtown area of Elkins. A museum with railroad artifacts and gift shop occupies the interior of the depot.

On the last day of the forestry part of our trip, we went to another company that produces a value-added product from from one our natural resources. Colonial Millworks is a company located in Elkins, WV that takes kiln-dried lumber and produces a variety of products for a diverse market. This market runs from retail companies like Lowe's and Home Depot, all the way to special orders from companies like the Disney Company. http://colonialmillwork.com/

The above photos on the left show the first production stages of cabinet doors. The material cut out of the doors becomes shelf and cabinet supports shown in the photo above right, thus increasing efficiency. Colonial Millworks also uses other efficiencies such as capturing all their sawdust and selling it to Hamer Wood Pellets http://hamerpellet.com/. Their waste wood is also turned to sawdust by the machines shown below, thus taking their waste from a cost to a revenue stream.    

 The last place we visited was Armstrong Flooring in Beverly, WV. This plant  is the fourth largest employer in Randolph County with 650 employees. This company did not allow photos, but were very accomodating with a complete tour of their plant that covers fifteen acres under roof. Armstrong has a widely varied base of customers that includes Home Depot, Lowe's, and many other home improvement companies. Like Colonial Millworks, they convert their waste wood to sawdust and sell it to Hamer Wood Pellets.

We closed out our stay in Elkins with a great evening with Luanna Moore in the photo above with her traditional Appalachian string instrument, the dulcimer. She is an award-winning teacher, which she demonstrated by teaching a bunch of slow-fingered teachers to play at least two songs on the dulcimer. This is a great connection to our Scots-Irish ancestry and the music they brought to the Appalacian region.

(Video to be added later.)