About our Sloan's Mill Timber Tradition

Having brought food with them, protection from the elements was the top priority. They began by felling trees with an ax and hand notching logs. Mud was used for chinking to keep out the wind. Their sturdy log cabins were made completely comfortable with rock fireplaces to generate heat.

Once they were dry and warm, hunting and searching for food was the daily task. Each day's efforts provided the next day's survival. Hard work was necessary just to provide enough food and firewood to make it another day.

The pioneers traveled in groups, like the Quakers who settled along Hunting Creek in the Yadkin River basin. Neighbors depended on each other, supported each other and kept each other alive.

As families expanded, more land was cleared, more cabins built, farms grew larger and soon the settlers were providing more than they could consume. Trade was established with other communities. American ingenuity provided the tools that made life easier and more productive. Machinery, powered by horses and oxen plowed fields, raked hay, hauled heavy loads and ground grain.

The largest power sources were the flowing streams that dotted the countryside. Waterwheel mills with the power to grind the grain in large amounts began to appear in the valley. Communities grew around these wonderful machines with turning gears that tumbled stones to pulverize grain. The miller was a popular figure in those days, bartering, trading and many times providing free services. The true beginning of commerce in this new land is attributed to the waterwheel and the miller.

Chester Sloan was a miller learning the trade on Hunting Creek. This beautiful stream bordered the land that was once the home of Squire Boone, father of Daniel. Chester was a Quaker, a good neighbor and a fine musician. In those days, musicians were rare and highly appreciated by the community. They provided a valuable service, giving the local folk a break from the hard work and drudgery of the day. They included music in their worship and enjoyed kicking up their heels to the mountain sounds.

In the early 1900s, Chester bought a mill downstream. Chester's hard work and determination helped make the mill a success. Eventually he added more gears and pulleys and started sawing and dressing lumber. As Sloan's Mill became a valuable resource for the community, Chester's nine children helped grind the grain and dress the wood.

The girls worked as hard as the boys. Wilma, Chester's daughter, was no exception. She planed wood, stacked lumber and did whatever was required to keep the business running smoothly.

Eventually, Wilma married a man who was also in the lumber business. Today, their four sons proudly carry on the family tradition. Establishing Sloan's Mill to build quality log and timberframe homes was a "natural" for a family with such a long tradition in the timber business.

Using only select woods, the most innovative lamination system available and ultimate precision milling techniques, Sloan's Mill is rapidly carving a niche in today's high quality log and timberframe industry.