Artifact of the Month: October 2018

Hidden Treasures

During Ketchikan's early years, smells of cedar, sawdust, and wood smoke may have permeated the downtown from A.J. "Ott" Inman's mill. Inman, a pioneering resident, constructed a shop along Ketchikan Creek in 1904 to manufacture barrels, later expanding to include shingles. The shingle mill sliced logs into tapered wedges to make wooden shingles, a popular building material for siding and roofs. Exposure to weather causes wood shingles to become an attractive silvery grey color, but can also cause irreversible damage like cracks, warping, and missing pieces. As Ketchikan developed, there was always a need for more shingles.

By 1919, Inman's operation moved to Charcoal Point (near the present-day ferry terminal) and the business name changed to Ketchikan Lumber & Shingle Company. R.H. Fleming was the principal owner at the time until 1923 when he left town. The mill continued to operate under various owners with several name changes until it burnt down on April 17, 1951. The mill was not rebuilt.

Two original Ketchikan Lumber & Shingle Company shingles were discovered on Pennock Island around 2012 during a demolition project. While tearing down an old troller's boathouse and cabin from the 1920s, the donor found the red cedar shingles with the stamp side facing down helping to preserve the original manufacturing stamp. In 1920, the mill produced 2.9 million shingles. Both shingles are currently on display in our permanent exhibit Ketchikan is...

Object credit:
Ketchikan Museums, KM 2017.2.63.2

Photo caption & credit:
Troller's boathouse on Pennock Island, where shingles were discovered.
Ketchikan Museums, RC 2017.0.24.3