Largo Lumber – Family Owned & Operated

By Marilyn Short

Long before Leslie Estep and family arrived in Largo, there had been a lumber business sitting alongside the railroad tracks at Third Street and Fifth Avenue NW serving the needs of the growing community. The earliest lumber operation located on that site is believed to be a sawmill owned by John S. Hussey.

In 1949, G.L. Health of the Heath Lumber Company of Selma, Alabama operated a lumber business on the property. Mr. Heath, however, had become disenchanted with his business here in Largo and decided it was time to sell. In a letter to lumber broker Pete Winters of Winters Brothers, he cites, among other things, the town’s controversial bond litigation, taxes, and an apparent dislike for lawyers, for influencing his decision to sell. He places the blame of his failing business, however, on his business manager’s work ethics. It appears his manager had a great love for the “bottle” and with Mr. Heath 500 miles away in Selma, he wasn’t able to keep a close eye on the lumbar yard….. or the manager!

The colorful Mr. Heath touted the great central location of the lumber yard and its ability to provide folks all over the area with their lumber needs. The fact that the County Fair, the citrus industry, and Florida’s great climate brought tourists and potential home owners to the area was, no doubt, a selling point as well.. Mr. Heath boasted of a 60 x 100-foot lumber shed with a driveway inside running from one end to the other. With its aluminum roof this allowed yard workers to load lumber and be out of the rain. Sitting alongside the railroad tracks certainly was a plus also.

Leslie G. Estep

Back in LaGrange, Illinois, Leslie Estep no doubt saw this as a good business endeavor and purchased the property from Mr. Heath. When the purchase was completed in 1950, Mr. Estep left his family behind in LaGrange and came to Florida to get his new venture up and running. When he first arrived, he stayed at the old Magnolia Inn in Ozona.

After spring break from Michigan State in 1950, Leslie’s son, Grant, went back to LaGrange to help his mother move to Largo. Grant recollects, “Our first trip to Florida in Dad’s 1947 Nash Ambassador was quite interesting – no interstates, lots of mountains to cross, and my mother insisted on staying nights at those farmhouses that accommodated tourists.”

Grant met his wife, Barbara Walker, on a blind date in October of 1952 and in January of the following year they were married at the old wooden Belmont Park Methodist Church in Clearwater. Barbara’s parents, Pete and Wilma Walker, were concerned that their marriage wouldn’t last, not because they might be too young, but rather due to the fact Grant was a “Yankee”. Being a Yankee couldn’t have been all that bad as Grant and Barb celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in January of this year!

A few years later in 1956, Grant’s brother, John, and his wife Leona, and their daughters, Mary Kay and Nancy, left their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico and joined the family lumber business in Largo. “Largo Lumber went on to grow”, Grant states. “When my father bought the lumber yard, it was a pretty rustic business. We had no restroom facilities so we had to go down Railroad Avenue and use Ray Sewell’s Pure Oil Station restrooms. At times, we guys would cross

the ACL tracks and make use of the grove.” Largo Lumber prospered, according to Grant, mainly thanks to great employees, which included among others, Barbara Gilley, Tommy LeDuc, Helen Beistle, Ernie Hussey, and Rufus Keese. Barbara, her brothers Doug and Arnold Walker, (who both worked for the Largo Police Department under Chief Charlie Wetmore) also worked for Largo Lumber, as did Grant and Barbara’s children, Tom, Neal, and Janet, and John’s daughters as well.

In 1985, with the new mega home improvement stores emerging, the Estep family decided it was time to sell. In 1986, Largo Lumber was sold to George House. For over 35 years, Largo Lumber – a “family owned & operated” business – had served its community well! Grant continued to work for the new owner for a while and then became part of the first crew at Largo’s “new” Wal-Mart. Brother John went on to work for Fred Petty at the Pinellas County Tax Office.

Largo Lumber’s founder, Leslie Estep, was actively involved in numerous civic organizations. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, was President of the Greater Largo Chamber of Commerce, and Mayor of Belleair. He passed away in 1979. In 2002, Barb and Grant moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina to be close to their children. John continues to live here in Largo; Leona, his wife of 60 years, passed away of January of this year.

Author’s Note: A special “thank you” is extended to Grant Estep for taking the time to gather information – twice- about the Estep family business for this article. The first draft got “lost” somewhere between South Carolina and Largo. We appreciate your second effort! The Society extends an invitation to members and visitors to stop by the Feed Store Museum to view other photos of Largo Lumber which have been donated by the Estep family for inclusion in the Society’s photo collection.