Proceeding out the back door of the Leach House you enter the Boxcar Museum. The company used the boxcar on a regular basis and it escaped destruction in the 1936 fire as it was parked at the commissary. It stayed at the Port of Pensacola for many years before being placed in the park.
Inside the boxcar you'll see memorabilia of Alger-Sullivan's Escambia Railroad and the L & N RR. Maps show the extent of the Escambia RR, which included 90 miles of main road and countless miles of ever-changing spurs. There is even part of a car from the Alabama-Florida Railroad, c. 1860.
Note the dates painted on the rafters of the car. When we first acquired the car, it needed a roof job. We became aware that previous roofing work was noted in the rafters and we've continued that tradition. Recently we insulated and paneled the interior.
As you leave the Boxcar to the right, use care negotiating the steps. Once on the ground, observe to your left the old train bell mounted high on a piece of rail.
In the front room of the Post Office Museum and above the old phone, is a small clock that had a big responsibility. This was the main Mill Clock and the whole town ran on its time, as announced by the mill's whistle.
A lot of lore surrounds the company clock. People went to work and school by the mill's time. Even free-ranging hogs knew the noon mill whistle meant it was time to show up at the school to get food scraps. When asked how the clock was kept accurate, the timekeeper replied that he’d checked with the railroad. When the railroad stationmaster was asked the same question, he said he listened for the mill whistle! Another legend has it that the whistle could be heard as far away as Jay, but everything there was fifteen minutes late, since it took the sound that long to get up the steep hill.
In the second room, watch for the broom maker's vise that was used when applying stitching to the brooms. Near it is a block of cedar and a froe, for making shingles by hand. On the walls are various tools of timber-related industries. Another wall has post office boxes from three of the town's past post offices. Under the table you'll see a two-man chainsaw and a photo of it in operation.
This concludes the self-guided tour. If you want, you may walk over the grounds at your leisure. We hope you enjoy your visit and will come again.
Join us in a virtual tour of our three museums :
In the museums, you'll find a random collection of bits and pieces of the town's past. There are photos of prominent people, of logging and sawmill scenes, a roster of long-term employees of the mill and drawings of the original mill layout. Odd pieces of memorabilia range from tie clips to cannonballs. There isn't enough room here to explain every item, but feel free to ask your guide if something sparks your interest.
This page last modified on Friday, May 14, 2004
Leach House Museum & Historic District Headquarters
Boxcar Museum
Post Office Museum—Site of E.A. Hauss home
Most of what we have accomplished to date has come from donations and fund-raising efforts. Donations are tax deductible and are always welcomed and appreciated.
If you are curious about the history of our area, we have three books published by the Society for sale that we think you'll find enjoyable (see www.algersullivan.org/bookstore.html). There are two paperback volumes, A Sawmill Scrapbook, Volumes two and three (volume 1 is no longer available) and a third book, A Pictorial History. This is a wonderful hardback book with pages of interesting stories and pictures of settlements along the Escambia and Conecuh rivers. A book by Earle Bowden and Bill Cummins, Texas Desperado in Florida (The Capture of John Wesley Hardin in Pensacola, 1877), is also available for purchase, as are commemorative cups, postcards, and a beautiful throw/Afghan in several color themes.
.Click images to enlarge
The Alger-Sullivan Historical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 1002
Century, Florida 32535
On the Internet
BACK TO www.algersullivan.org
The Leach House is so named for the forester, Marion Leach, who once lived there. The building has undergone extensive repairs and provides us with space for displays, a library, an office and storeroom, and a meeting place. On the wall of the front room you'll see a large photo of the mill c. 1960. Below the picture is the centerpiece of the Leach House Museum, a miniature of the Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company mill and town. The model was built by a former resident of Century, Billy Ray Jones, and is a labor of love.
The room to the east is a display of old-time Family Living, with items from the Hecker Collection and others. The displays depict common things one might have at the turn of the 20 th century .
In the next room, you’ll see many items from the Turberville Hospital, the elementary and high schools, and items from some businesses. The centerpiece here is the Bagatelle, a parlor game from the early 1900s.
Next, you’re invited to browse the library, where you will find more school-related items. Document storage cabinets here house diagrams and plans for the layout and maintenance of the mill itself. Finally, you are invited to relax in the meeting room and reflect on the ambiance and innocence of a time long gone by.