The roots of the Sessoms Timber Trust reach back more than a hundred and forty years. In 1879, Alexander Sessoms moved to southeast Georgia where he entered the turpentine business and began to amass land holdings.
His son, Alexander Kelly Sessoms, born in 1881, had the vision that became Sessoms Timber Trust. He moved to northern Clinch County and began harvesting timber and turpentine. Later, he established the community of Cogdell, which became a thriving settlement complete with a lumber mill, a cattle farm, housing for employees, a company store, schools, and numerous churches. In 1911, he formed a company that constructed the Waycross and Western Railroad, a line running from Waycross to Milltown, now known as Lakeland, GA. From Waycross, Sessoms’ products were moved by rail to Savannah.
Innovation was integral to Sessoms’ success. He developed a steam-powered turbine distilling plant that revolutionized the turpentine industry. Realizing the need for protecting timberland from fire, Sessoms established the Timber Protection Organization at Cogdell in 1926 and later served as chairman of the State Forestry Board.
Sessoms Timber Trust properties have been managed by the same family for sustainable timber production over five generations. The historic land use on this property, like many others surrounding the Okefenokee Swamp, has been related to timber and timber-related products, as it still remains today. In 2012 Sessoms Trust had the distinction of being recognized as a member of the American Tree Farm System for over 50 years. The forest is third party certified by the American Tree Farm.