Handley Mill BUrnt River - Loading logs with lumber stack in background - Leonard Godwin, Gordon Stewart, Keith Stewart with Horses Larry and Kit
KAWARTHA LAKES-For generations, Handley Lumber has touched the lives of just about everyone in Burnt River and Fenelon Falls. Joseph Handley Jr. harvested forests then used the cleared lots to ranch cattle. In 1918, he opened a shingle mill near his home in Burnt River, while he also owned the remains of a sawmill on the Third Concession of Somerville. In 1936, he took over Fred Chambers’ planing mill in Fenelon Falls—which included a belt driven mortise and tenon machine, jointer, saw and sander. They all still work to this day—though technology has evolved.
Crew at Joseph Handley Burnt River Mill
Dating back to their days in Burnt River, the Handley and Godwin families worked closely together. In the second generation, Joe’s son Ray operated the business alongside Chester Godwin. Many Fenelon Falls residents would remember Ray and Chester working together in a small sales building, using a common men’s leather wallet to hold the cash that came in. In this era before television, many local residents enjoyed sharing stories about their friends and neighbours. For many years, there were a lot of stories circulating about Ray Handley—he truly was a local legend.
Crew in front of Joseph Handley Truck loaded with logs, cable hoist in background
The Handley business began as a venture selling its own lumber—the year after opening in Fenelon Falls, Joe bought a tractor trailer to allow him to more efficiently export local lumber to Toronto. But as the years passed, it became more economical to import lumber from other regions where it could be produced on a much greater scale. In 1964, Ray Handley joined BOLD: Better Ontario Lumber Dealers, a buying platform that would evolve into Castle Building Centres Ltd. In the years that followed, the volume of sales vastly increased, as did the variety of products that were used in local construction.
Ray Handley and Chester Godwin at the Sales Desk, Handley Lumber, c 1980
Handley Lumber built a new showroom around 1980, then rebuilt it after a 1992 fire. In 1999 Handley Lumber passed to Ray’s four sons: Ken, Joe, Bill and David. In 2008, Ken’s sons Chris and Tim bought the business from the family, beginning its fourth generation. Ken continues to work in the mill that brought his grandfather to Fenelon Falls, while Chester’s nephew Erick Watson staffs the service desk. Handley Lumber remains a business where a lot of customers enjoy seeing their friends at the lumber yard, a business that is very supportive of its community.
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