Lathe at Washington Veneer plywood plant at Olympia — 1926 — #10723_1
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Photograph Copyright Anderson & Middleton Company
United States — Washington (State) — Olympia
Washington Veneer
The machine in this photograph was the first lathe on the West Coast to be driven entirely by gears instead of the more typical and inefficient belts. It was built by the St. Joseph Iron Works of St. Joseph Michigan to the stringent specifications of Washington Veneer's President, Ed Westman. Located in Olympia, Washington the Washington Veneer Company was a manufacturer of plywood and started operations in 1925 at the north end of Capitol Way. Founders were Ed Westman, Joseph L. Peters, C.J. Lord and Millard Lemon. The company grew rapidly, and in 1929 built a 225-foot-tall brick smokestack. Viewed as a symbol of economic prosperity, a couple was hoisted to the top of that stack and married in June 1929. Washington Veneer was sold to the Georgia-Pacific Lumber Co. in the late '40s. The plywood plant was closed in 1967. See also photos # 10731_1 and 10718_1 for more views.
