Bay de Noquet Lumber Company Waste Burner facts for kids
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Bay de Noquet Lumber Company Waste Burner
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Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Waste burner c. 1978
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | South end of River St., Nahma Township, Michigan |
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| Built | c. 1888 - 1893 |
| Demolished | 2019 |
| NRHP reference No. | 11000177 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 8, 2011 |
| Removed from NRHP | June 10, 2020 |
The Bay de Noquet Lumber Company Waste Burner was a tall, round tower in Nahma Township, Michigan. It was like a giant furnace built to burn leftover wood and bark from a nearby sawmill. This burner was very special because, until 2019, it was the only one of its kind still standing in Michigan. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. Sadly, the burner fell apart in 2019 and was then removed from the historic places list in 2020.
Contents
The Story of the Waste Burner
Building a Lumber Company
In 1881, a group of business partners from Wisconsin started the Bay de Noquet Lumber Company. They quickly built a large sawmill in Nahma, a town located right on the northern shore of Lake Michigan. The sawmill opened its doors in 1882.
Fires and Rebuilding
Fires were a big problem for sawmills back then. The Nahma sawmill was destroyed by fire in 1889 and again in 1899. To help prevent future fires, the company built this special waste burner. It was placed on a small island nearby to safely get rid of all the wood scraps. We don't know the exact year it was built, but it was sometime between 1888 and 1893. It's very likely it was built after the big fire in 1889.
The Mill's Final Years
The sawmill burned down one more time in 1923. But the company rebuilt it again and kept cutting down trees and using the waste burner. However, there weren't as many trees left to cut. Because of this, the mill closed for good in 1951. The waste burner stood for many more years as a reminder of the past.
The Burner Collapses
In the early morning hours of April 18, 2019, the old waste burner finally collapsed.
What the Burner Looked Like
The Bay de Noquet Lumber Company Waste Burner was a large, round tower. It was about 32 feet (about 9.7 meters) wide on the outside. It stood impressively tall, reaching about 100 feet (about 30.5 meters) into the sky.
How It Was Built
The burner was made from strong cast iron plates. These plates were lined with thick bricks on the inside. It sat on a solid foundation of limestone that was 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) high. The iron plates on the outside were rectangular and stacked in rows, slightly overlapping each other. The bottom five rows had extra metal straps to keep the tower from bulging out.
Openings and Features
At the very bottom, there were arched openings. These were probably used to remove ashes from inside the burner. Higher up, about halfway, there was a larger opening. This was where wood waste was dumped into the burner using a conveyor belt. To stop sparks from flying out, a wire mesh dome covered the very top. There was even a weathervane on top with the letters "B. de N. Co." carved into it.
Inside the Burner
The brick lining inside the burner was very thick. It was about 18 inches (about 45 cm) thick in the bottom 30 feet (about 9 meters). Higher up, for the next 24 feet (about 7.3 meters), the bricks were about 8 inches (about 20 cm) thick. Above that, the burner had no brick lining. This way of building was very similar to a design patented in 1888 by Muskegon Boiler Works.
Where It Stood
The burner was built on low ground close to Lake Michigan. At one time, it was about 60 feet (about 18 meters) east of the sawmill. Today, all signs of the sawmill are gone, except for some old wooden posts along the shore and the waste burner itself. A golf course now sits where the mill used to be.
