When white Europeans came to southern America, they found very large pine trees in great profusion. Trees up to 60 inches around at chest height were common. Sometimes it would be 50 feet to the trees first limb. Tree trunks were as straight as an arrow. What great lumber those trees made. Back then, milling boards that were one foot wide was common. The center of pine logs was called "heart pine". It was perfect for flooring that needed to withstand heavy foot traffic. Public places like court houses, stores, businesses, shops, restaurants, and hotel lobbies were some of those places. The floors was sometimes finished with products of the period, sometimes they were just laid bare. Either way, they were beautiful, durable, and easy to lay. Many of these old floors are still with us today. We salute them.
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