Lillis Bros. Lumber & Shingle Mill

As you leave Jack Hyde Park and continue west, past the Old Town dock, you approach Dickman Mill Park; at the park’s restroom (and near the base of the Dickman Burner) is where the Lillis Bros. Mill once stood. Of all the mills which came and went—for one reason or another—the circumstances causing the demise of this mill has to beat them all.

Henry “H. M.” Lillis was a prominent Old Town citizen—school teacher, justice of the peace, etc. during the 1880s and 90s. In early 1896 he teamed up with two brothers to build a mill just below Old Town; but knowing what they were doing was a different matter. The decking for the mill was placed upon pilings which they claimed were new; however, a 13-year-old cannery and pier had stood abandoned on the site (for 10 years) and it is possible they could have used many of these pilings. The machinery was installed first, and were first used to cut enough lumber to construct the mill building themselves—pretty smart idea. 

In the spring of 1897, the mill was ready for full operation – along with a shingle mill incorporated within the complex; the owners had a great deal invested in this mill. Here’s what went wrong: the pilings would have been adequate for a cannery pier, but were placed too far apart to support heavy mill machinery. At 7 A.M. on a morning in May of 1897, the outer 50 feet of the mill began sinking into the bay; the night watchman heard a “cracking” sound, and ran to safety toward the shore end of the mill. The collapsing could only get worse—it would have to be completely re-piled and rebuilt—it was useless. The owners blamed the collapse on worm-infested pilings; there have may have been some – but the pilings were just too far apart.

A debt was still owed upon all the machinery, and it had to be returned to the provider. The Lillis Brothers were out of the lumber business before they ever got started. The property went into receivership; the buildings were dismantled and went to a lumber firm in South Bend, Washington.

Nerheim, J. N.. The History of Lumber Mills in Old Town. Tacoma, WA. Self-published, 2004.