EARLY HSTORY

In 1865, Colonel Edmund T. William built a blacksmith ad wheelwright shop where Lawes Coal Company stands today.  In 1875, the building burned to the ground.  Colonel Williams then built the present building now occupied by the Lawes offices.  In 1889, Charles Hurley purchased the property from the Colonel Williams estate.  In 1920, Mr. Hurley sold the property to George Silver, Sr. who manufactured a blend of oils imported from France that was used in “Mavis” talcum powder.

OUR HISTORY

In 1926, Donald E. Lawes, Sr. and Frank B. Lawes rented the property and formed a partnership called Lawes Coal and Supply.  They operated for two years and in 1928 incorporated into Lawes Coal Company, Inc.  In the same year, they rented a part of the building to Hellmann’s Mayonnaise as a distribution center.

Since 1926, Lawes Coal Company has been run by the three generations of the Lawes family.  Today, the business is run by brothers Donald E. Lawes III and Will Lawes, who joined the family business in the 1970’s.  The brothers we handed the family business from their father about 17 years ago who had run the family business since the 1940’s.

In the early years Lawes delivered coal as a source of fuel but as heating oil became more widely used as a source of heat, the delivery of coal went by the wayside.  Just as the needs of the community changed, so did Lawes Coal Company  - going through many transitions over its long history.  In the early years, coal and animal feed became a dwindling part of the business, and heating oil became the company’s primary product.  To be competitive, Lawes expanded to supply gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene and propane.

For most of Lawes’ history, the company has had a service department that repairs and maintains heating units.  Air-conditioning sales and repair has also been added, as well as underground storage tank removal, installation and repairs.  Lawes also maintains an extensive lawn and garden equipment inventory, including everything from fertilizer, grass seed and mulch to shovels and lawn mowers.  They also supply, sell and service power equipment, ridable lawnmowers and small tractors.

The Lawes’ Philosophy….”We have a family business run like a family business---that’s how we retain employees and we treat our customers the same way.”

To see more of our history, click here