George Willis Pack
George Willis Pack (born 1831, Peterboro, New York; d. August 31, 1906, Southampton, Long Island, New York) was a second-generation timberman on Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Building on his father's legacy, over the course of several decades, Pack successfully developed his timber businesses, becoming one of Michigan's first millionaires. His son, Charles Lathrop Pack, and his grandson, Randolph Greene Pack, carried on the family tradition.
George Willis Pack | |
|---|---|
| Born | about 1831 |
| Died | August 31, 1906 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse | Frances Farman |
| Children | Charles Lathrop Pack Mary Pack Millicent Pack Beulah Pack |
| Parent(s) | George Pack, Jr. Maria Lathrop |
Life and career
His father, George Pack, Jr. had established two sawmills outside of Lexington, Michigan, in a place known as Pack's Mills.
After years of working with the elder Pack, in 1860 George Willis Pack, together with John L. Woods, established Carrington, Pack & Company, in Sand Beach, Michigan.
In 1864, with Woods and Jeremiah Jenks, George Willis Pack established a second sawmill, Pack, Jenks & Company, also near Sand Beach.
A third firm, Woods & Company, in Port Crescent, Michigan, was formed in 1870.
In 1876, Pack, Woods & Company was formed in Oscoda, Michigan, on the Au Sable River.
George Willis Pack grew to be a wealthy man. He "would be remembered as one of the few millionaires who had lived in Huron County.[1]
The public square in Asheville, North Carolina dates to 1797. Pack gave land for a new Buncombe County courthouse, which was completed in 1903 and no longer stands. A condition of this gift was that the former courthouse site become part of the public square, and the area was named Pack Square as a result. Pack also donated much of the cost of a monument to former North Carolina Governor Zebulon Baird Vance.[2]
Firms, places, and dates
- Carrington, Pack & Company, Sand Beach, Michigan, 1860–70
- Pack, Jenks & Company, Sand Beach, Michigan, 1864–70
- Woods & Company, Port Crescent, Michigan, 1870–78
- Pack, Woods & Company, Oscoda, Michigan, 1878–1901
Landholdings
- Huron County, Michigan - 5,000 acres (20 km2) of timber
- Pinnebog River, Michigan - 25,000 acres (100 km2) of pine lands
External links
- "George Willis Pack: A Name That Will Endure", A Virtual Exhibit, University of North Carolina at Asheville, August 2006
References
Notes
- Eyle, pp. 2–9
- "Pack Square, Asheville, North Carolina". National Park Service. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
Bibliography
- Eyle, Alexandra. 1992. Charles Lathrop Pack: Timberman, Forest Conservationist, and Pioneer in Forest Education. Syracuse, NY: ESF College Foundation and College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Distributed by Syracuse University Press. Available:Google books