Morley, the Vanished Lumber Town

When Louisiana lands were opened for timber development, H. T. Morley, the eldest son of a wealthy Michigan family, came to West Baton Rouge in the first decade of the twentieth century to make his mark in the industry. He and his brother Lawrence moved to West Baton Rouge and created a lumber town in the swamps along the Texas Pacific Railroad in southern West Baton Rouge. The town became known as Morley. Alas, this community did not last long. The trees were quickly depleted and in 1923 a tragic accident took the life of H. T. Morley. Without his leadership and without the cypress needed to maintain the mill, the town quickly died as the residents began moving out. Many of the houses were sold and transported away.








