Site of Hawn Lumber Company

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about this place, right here in Henderson County. Settle in, because this one's got layers to it. It starts with a county, a train, and a family that showed up ready to build just about everything in sight.

Athens became the county seat in 1850, sitting right at the geographic center of the newly redrawn Henderson County lines. That's the kind of positioning that matters. A town at the center of things tends to attract people who want to be at the center of things.

And in 1881, on the very first train to stop in Athens, Charles H. and Lillian Hawn rolled in with a load of lumber. Now that's an entrance. You don't just arrive on the first train.

You arrive on the first train with a plan. Charles Hawn wasted no time making himself known. The Athens Register called him, and I'm quoting here, adept as an architect and master builder.

That's not a compliment you earn by standing around. By 1882 he had already designed and built the residence of Senator J. J.

Faulk and his wife. By 1885 he had built a new county courthouse. He was also credited with the design and construction of many early houses in and around Athens.

The man was, by all accounts, building this town from the studs out. Then in December of 1886, Charles and Lillian Hawn purchased two acres right here on this site, and the Hawn Lumber Company was born. From that foothold, Hawn kept going.

He provided lumber and labor for buildings around the town square, for settlers' homes spreading out across the county. He is credited with constructing the Faulk-Gaunt building and the Gaunt Brothers buildings in downtown Athens, and the home of Joseph Thomas La Rue. If something went up in Athens in those years, there's a real good chance a Hawn had a hand in it.

Now, Charles and Lillian had a second son, William A. Hawn. When Charles died in 1922, William inherited the family holdings, including his father's several sawmills, and became president of the company.

William A. Hawn, known as W. A., didn't just tend the family business.

He served as city commissioner and mayor. He served as postmaster. He served on the school board.

The man put down roots in every direction. Under his direction, the Hawn Lumber Company remained a strong fixture in the city's building trade. William A.

Hawn died in 1960, but the company kept going, staying in the family all the way until it closed in 1997. Think about that span. From the first train pulling into Athens in 1881, through the building of a courthouse, a town square, a commissioner's office, a mayor's chair, all the way to the end of the twentieth century.

The Hawn Lumber Company was instrumental in the city's growth, start to finish. Some families leave a headstone. The Hawns left a skyline.

What the marker says

As the geographic center of the newly redrawn Henderson County lines, Athens became the county seat in 1850. Charles H. and Lillian (Barksdale) Hawn arrived with a load of lumber on the first train to stop in Athens in 1881. Charles Hawn quickly established a role for himself and his family in the village. Called "adept as an architect and master builder" by the Athens Register, Hawn built a new county courthouse in 1885. He also is credited with the design and construction of many early houses in and around Athens, including the residence of Senator J. J. Faulk and his wife in 1882. In December 1886 Charles and Lillian Hawn purchased two acres on this site in order to establish the Hawn Lumber Company. Hawn continued to provide lumber and labor for many of the buildings around the town square as well as settlers' homes. He is credited with constructing the Faulk-Gaunt building and the Gaunt Brothers buildings in downtown Athens, as well as the home of Joseph Thomas La Rue. Charles and Lillian Hawn's second son, William A. Hawn, became president of the company. He inherited family holdings including Charles' several sawmills upon his father's death in 1922. W. A. Hawn served as city commissioner and mayor, postmaster and school board member for the city of Athens. Under his direction, the Hawn Lumber Company remained a strong fixture in the city's building trade. William A. Hawn died in 1960; the company remained in the family until it closed in 1997. From the early development of Athens to the end of the 20th century, the Hawn Lumber Company was instrumental in the city's growth. (1999)