University of Virginia Library

Lumber Hauled

The pace of Dinsmore's, Oldham's, and Ware's work is best glimpsed by examining the
amount of materials delivered to the university for them. From 14 April to 29 May, John
Pollock, who ran his own small sawmill, hauled a dozen wagon loads of plank from
Gilmore's, Garth's, and Maury's sawmills to Dinsmore's buildings.[291] In addition he carted
two wagon loads of tin from the Milton Ferry on the Rivanna River to the university. The
typical charge for hauling a load of plank was $6.67, and Pollock earned a total of $76.20
for delivering the 14 wagon loads of material.[292] Pollock received $20 for 4 days worth of
"Hawling plank from Opie Lindsays" to Dinsmore later in the summer.[293] On 8 May
Pollock also began hauling for the Dinsmore & Perry partnership, which he continued to do
through 9 July. Nine wagon loads from Humphrey's and Flanagan's sawmills at $7.50 each
earned Pollock $67.50 from Dinsmore & Perry.[294] William D. Meriwether, one of the
directors of the Rivanna Company, delivered 2,424 feet of 1½ inch plank to "Pavillion No
111" on the West Lawn for Dinsmore & Perry in late summer, getting $72.72 in return for
his trouble.[295]

So much lumber was required at the university, in fact, that in mid-May Brockenbrough
requested Alexander Garrett to advertise locally for the material, which the bursar
immediately did, although he feared that no proposals would materialize.[296] After a month
William Wood finally offered to furnish well-seasoned plank and "any scantling, & of any
length you may want, upon as good terms as you can get it of others." The rub was that he
would not deliver any before October.[297] And in July a Mr. Gentry also handed in an offer
to "contract for a large quantity" but nothing apparently came of that proposal either.[298]
The situation so frustrated James Oldham that he

Richard Ware received his share of lumber too, although it was August by the time Robert
Lindsay "Halled" the first wagon load. Lindsay, between 7 and 25 August, delivered at least
14 wagon loads of plank to the Philadelphian working on the east side of Jefferson's square
—nearly 13,000 feet—at a cost of $392.33.[302] George W. Spooner, Jr., complained to the
proctor that William D. Meriwether was furnishing lumber to Oldham at $4.50 delivered at
the university, exceeding "fifty Cents the Hundred the differance in price" that Ware paid to
Nelson Barksdale. Ware "can better explain the nature of his arrangment," said Spooner,
although Meriwether was willing to furnish the "timbers for a nother building on the same
terms all but the heart Inch & half plank."[303] A week later, however, the fickle Spooner had
changed his mind, saying that "I am since induced to think otherwise as the Heart Plank
agreed for, Mr Mere's will not engage to get which makes the other preferable."[304] John
Bishop, who served in the Albemarle County militia with James Dinsmore and Alexander
Garrett during the War of 1812,[305] hauled lumber to Ware for 12¼ days between 16
August and 6 September, receiving $61.25 in compensation.[306] In September Ware
authorized the proctor to give James Stone an advance of $10 for hauling timber from his
sawmill to Ware's buildings because "the beairer has left his Wagon Wheel many Miles from
here to be Repaired & can not get it without A little mony."[307] A couple days later Ware
wrote Brockenbrough again, requesting that a $40 order be drawn for George Milliway who
had hauled 8 days at $5 per day, "he Stats to me he can get the Money for the Same of A
friend of his in Charlottesville."[308] Richard Ware also had the privilege of purchasing the
last bit of plank for the entire year just a week before Christmas from former Proctor
Barksdale, some $1,383.51 worth of "Scantling & Hart plank delivered for Pavelian N. 1. N
2 and four Dormatarys betwen Pavelians & joist for Six dormatarys South of Pavelian No 2
E. Range."[309]