Fourth generation Panhandle resident Raymon Melvin has a
collection that very few people will recognize today —
turpentine equipment. Melvin, of Long Leaf Pine Industry of
Northwest Florida, is a Holley resident. He said he has been
collecting the unique turpentine industry equipment for more
than 40 years because both sides of his family — all the way up
until his father, were in the turpentine business here in
Northwest Florida. The tools are largely unrecognizable today
because it’s obsolete and during World War II many turpentine
workers had to melt down their equipment for the valuable metal
to support the war effort. Some accounts state that the
turpentine industry started as early as the 1700s, but it hit
its stride in the early 1900s. The turpentine making process is
complicated and time consuming. In order to tap a tree, a
turpentine worker must use a combination of cuts to remove the
pine bark from the tree. After the tree is debarked, the tree
will be begin to release a resin called oleoresin (simi