At Betula, two miles above Norwich, PA the Pennsylvania Stave Company built a mill in 1912.  It replaced their Cross Fork, PA operation that closed in the
same year.  Norwich, a small neighboring town, sawed the hemlock logs while Betula took the hardwood logs for staves for barrels. The logs went to the stavemills, there they were cut up into bolts-short logs. Then they were split up, cut into the thickness of barrel staves, put in the shed and dried then, steamed and dried again.  Then they were shipped out to market. back to Smethport History Home Page