The History of Marling Lumber Company

1895
George W. Marling was a stockbroker in Milwaukee dealing in many stocks. He sold stock to finance the Hattelberg Lumber Company lumber mill in Saunders, Michigan. Mr. Hattelberg got into financial trouble about 1900-1901 and left for Oregon.

1903
Walter A. Marling, son of George W. Marling was sent up as a manager to try to salvage the Company. Before it could be sold a forest fire in 1903 or 1904 went through and destroyed the town and mill which was not insured.

1904
Walter A. Marling bought out Mr. Miller’s share Miller-Parkinson Lumber Company was located at 625 East Main Street, in Madison, Mr. Parkinson was the husband of Walter’s wife’s elder sister, Adelaide Newcomb. This explains the change to Parkinson & Marling Lumber Company, Inc.

1907
Shortly after the death of his grandfathers, Walter bought three small lumber yards at Grand Rapids and Centralia, Wisconsin, now known as Wisconsin Rapids, and consolidated the yards at 250 3rd Avenue.

1916
Walter sent his son, Bill, up to Wisconsin Rapids to understudy the manager. Bill soon became manager there, and within a year was married. They presented the family with William Robert Marling, August 6,1918, and John Ellis Marling born May 23, 1922.

1920
The land at 625 E. Main Street was sold by the owner. Walter A. Marling decided it was time to buy out the Parkinson’s share to form Marling Lumber Company of Madison, making room for his second son to join him, and work in Madison. Walter bought land from the City of Madison which is the present location of the Madison yard, on East Washington Avenue.

1926
The Janesville yard was bought from the Brittingham and Hixon Lumber Company, at 634 South River Street a large distributing yard and the coal yard with prospects good for growth. After the purchase William W. Marling and family moved back to Madison and the General Office of the three yards was established here.

1929
It was decided to Incorporate the company and on January 2, 1930, William R. and John E. Marling, grandsons of the founder, and third generation, joined the business upon their return as naval officers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. John became manager of the Janesville yard in 1946 and Bill R. went to Wisconsin Rapids.

1967
The corporation purchased about five and one half acres of farm land at Albion, Wisconsin to build a new operation. The directors felt that assembly and manufacturing was going to become the most profitable part of the construction business in the next twenty years, and so they built the new plant for making trusses, Pease Ever-Straight Metal Doors, wall panels and component parts. The plant was halfway between the Madison and the Janesville operations and could service both retail yards. This became the Marling Building Components Company, a division of the Marling Lumber Company. We were the third customer first in the state to sell the new steel door

1968
The fourth generation joined the company. William H. Marling, the son of W.R. Marling, started in the estimating department, and presently is the president of the corporation. Douglas Marling, another fourth generation member joined the firm in 1973. In 1977, the second son of W.R. Marling , Thomas, joined the firm in Madison and heads the retail store and hardware operation.

1987
John E. Marling retired and the last of the fourth generation Marling was hired , Kurt took over the operation of the Janesville Lumber yard. With continued growth in the kitchen cabinet area a new building was constructed in 1989 for Marling Kitchen Distributors on Barberry Dr. managed by Doug Marling.

September 15, 1971
The Janesville operation was completely wiped out by a million dollar fire, except for the main office. The yard was completely rebuilt with all new steel buildings and construction was completed in spring of 1972. With a new yard, and a new division, Marling Millwork, was added.

1975
We were notified by the City of Wisconsin Rapids, through the Redevelopment Authority, that they would be condemning our property there to make room for a large Mall complex. We were given two years to relocate. Land costs for a decent location on a rail siding were impossible to afford and with the cost of new and adequate buildings, plus fences, paved drives, moving, etc., it was decided to abandon that location after having been there for seventy years.

1975
Marling Kitchen distributors was formed to sell Merrillat cabinets

1996
The latest division Marling Homework's was started in Madison

* We now have the 5th generation working at both Janesville and Madison Yards
** We are JVL’s oldest family owned retail business
*** Only 3% of family owned business make it to the 4th generation and the average life is only twenty-four years.