About Us
Davis-Hawn Lumber Co. has a history that dates back to the early logging years of Northern Texas timber and the early building years in Dallas.About Us
When you need it built to last, you can count on us. Our dedication to quality home improvement supplies and specialty lumber started with our founder, Wirt Davis, in 1923. He foresaw a lumberyard and hardware store that could mill its own lumber and supply the current and future residents of Oak Cliff with everything they needed to build and maintain their homes and businesses. Today, we still subscribe to our founder’s dreams for a hardware store and lumberyard that provides building materials, tools and equipment that you can count on for decades.
Our History
The early 1920s saw a boom in logging in east Texas and the beginning of the expansion and building of Dallas into the bustling city we see today. In those days, residents and businesses still used horse-drawn wagons and carriages. Although, the automobile was becoming more popular with 800,000 General Motors vehicles and 3.35 million Model T’s being produced that year.
1923 – Wirt’s Farmland
In 1923, Wirt Davis saw the need for a one-stop shop where new landowners and businesses could easily get lumber and building supplies for the rapid development of Dallas and the Oak Cliff community. Wirt decided to purchase a large parcel of farmland off Beckley Avenue. Of course, in 1923, Interstate 35 did not exist. It was Beckley Avenue that individuals and businesses used as the main thoroughfare to and from downtown Dallas.
Shortly after the purchase was finalized, Wirt built the hardware store and created the lumberyard where he would sell freshly milled lumber and wood from his own sawmill. He even made sure there was an extra-wide area where horse-drawn wagons could easily turn around with their loads.
1950s – Co-owner Joe Verne Hawn
Wirt owned and operated the lumberyard and hardware store with his family until the early 1950s. At this time, Joe Verne Hawn became interested in the business. His family, the C.F. Hawn family, were very well-known in Athens, Texas, and Wirt was pleased to bring him aboard as a co-owner. This is how we became Davis-Hawn Lumber.
1999 – Meet Dave Reichert
From the 1950s to the late 1999s, we continued to bring high-quality lumber and building materials to the Oak Cliff community, Dallas and East Texas. By this time, we were well-known for our Yellow Pine, specifically #1 and #2 yellow pine boards, which we mill ourselves. In 1999, Dave Reichert, a native Dallas resident and all-around good guy, joined our company, and we were pleased to bring him aboard. He holds the same old-fashioned values as our founder Wirt Davis and is dedicated to providing the same quality modern and historic building materials that we have become known for and sought after by general contractors, homeowners, architects and engineers.
Today – The Past Meets the Present
Today, we’ve been operating our lumberyard and hardware store for nearly 100 years, 99 to be exact, which is longer than any other sawmill or hardware store in the area. We are also still known for our impressive #1 and #2 Yellow Pine as well as our bevel and shiplap, including 105, 116, 117 and 122. Today, those boards are considered historic, but when we first started milling and selling them, they were considered the newest trend in home and commercial construction. In addition to selling out locally famous Yellow Pine, today, we also mill and sell Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar with the ability to source oak and birch.
While we’ve added to our lumber inventory and brought aboard new and exciting talent over the last 100 years, one thing has not changed. We are still dedicated to our historic roots of providing personable customer service and old fashioned values, and you can still walk through our lumberyard just like they did in 1923. We’re not only a place that helps build the future, we are also a place where you can experience the past.
Come on In!
Contact
