Our Hometown
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Newark says goodbye to Caves Lumber
It's been a family affair since 1930 when Joel Caves put J. Walter in charge of the Newark lumber firm. And since 1957, Jim
The Caves family has been in the lumber mill business, in Phelps and later Newark, for over 100 years. And the lumber yard will now close. Jim is pictured here hanging up his sign to passersby that he is 'Quitting Business.'
Jim graduated in 1953 from Phelps High School, and Janet (Hildreth) graduated from Phelps a year later. The high school sweethearts were married June 15, 1957. Jack Caves served as vice president of the corporation and Jim was its president. Jack joined the family business as soon as he finished high school. Julie did customer service and ordering. The history. Joel Caves bought the business and property of Newark Planning Mill, Inc. on May 5, 1930. He operated a lumber yard in Phelps, since 1919. For 36 years previous to that he was a contractor/builder in Phelps (also a member of their Village Board). Joel's son, James Walter Caves, had been working with his father for three years. He managed the Newark business from 1930-57. In addition to lumber, Caves sold builders' and masons' supplies. Five men were employed there in 1930. The terrible fire, June 9, 1955. Saturday afternoon blaze: Firemen from Newark and nine area towns fought this fire for three hours. The structures dated to 1890; 13 were injured and the entire Caves Lumber and Mill Works was declared a total loss. West Shore trains cut off at Palmyra and Lyons because hose lines ran across tracks, pumping water from the canal. Water pressure was reduced in hydrants because C.H. Stuart next door had it's sprinkler system running. Windows had popped out of the Stuart building. Afterwards only a brick chimney stood on site, the three story mill was leveled. On June 30, 1955 work was started to rebuild; the cellar was cleared of rubble, temporary office setup; business was being conducted as usual. Within a few months the mill was rebuilt. The Fire cause was not determined, but arson was not ruled out. (Fifteen years later, the youths who started the blaze began admitting it, but nothing was proven and no one was punished.)
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At Caves, you could custom order stairs, counter tops, windows, cabinets and many other specialty items. You could purchase hardware and household items, paints, shingles, glass, insulation, fans, and much more. Janet and Jim have three children, Jack, Julie (DeBaere) and Jeff. The latter owns and operates Caves Millwork, located behind the Caves Lumber
building. He will continue this business there, doing custom and specialty windows, cabinetry and more.