Every Piece of Antique Wood is Part of a Larger Story

When you walk into the Goodwin Company showroom, you walk into a room appointed with beautiful interior design and woodworking, custom creations, and family history.  Our own Jeffrey Forbes decided to add even more character, bringing novels from his personal book collection in for a bit of show and tell.  The Lightwood Series, authored by Brainard Cheney, sheds light on some of America’s forgotten history.

Cheney’s first historical fiction Lightwood, tells the tale of the Dodge Timber Wars in Georgia that took place in the post-Civil War era.  William E. Dodge led several northern investors in purchase of 300,000 acres of attractive, virgin growth longleaf pine forests.  However, the same climax forests were already occupied by generations of the local citizens.  Driven by power and greed, Dodge set out to prove these forests were legally his to do with what he pleased.  This led to an ugly and dangerous “war” between the locals and the investors for nearly half a century before finally coming to an end. Though devastating, conflict was not uncommon in these times when harvesting the 85 to 90 million acres of longleaf forests was the primary business.  Ultimately, the longleaf (referred to as The Wood That Built America) was used to construct lovely Victorian homes and buildings across the Eastern US.  The caissons of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York are made of pine, allowing underwater construction to take place.  Hotels and palaces across Europe also use the wood for building.

Cheney is also the author of River Rogue, This Is Adam, and Devil’s Elbow.  Come visit Goodwin to inquire about these novels, see more in our showroom, and let us help cater to your antique wood needs!