1905 History of Crawford County Kansas

Thomas L. Scott, manager of the Pittsburg Hydraulic Stone Company, and a capitalist interested in various industries, is one of the earlist[sic] settlers of southeastern Kansas, and has been connected in a prominent manner with the industrial and business interests of this region. He is a man of great activity and enterprise, far-sighted in matters of industrial development, and able to take advantage of opportunities and bring his plans to a successful culmination.

Mr. Scott was born in Marshall county, Virginia, in 1848, being a son of Mathias and Lulidia (Phillips) Scott, both natives of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, and the latter being now deceased. His father removed from Pennsylvania to Virginia, and in 1853 brought his family west and settled in Clark county, Missouri. In 1878 he came to Barton county, Kansas, and a few years later he followed his son Thomas to Pittsburg; where he is now living retired. Up to the time of the Civil war he followed the occupation of a cabinet-maker, and from that time until his retirement was a prosperous farmer.

Mr. Thomas L. Scott was reared and received his education mostly in Athens, Clark county, Missouri, finishing his schooling at St. Francesville. When his school days were over he came to Cherokee county, Kansas, and started the first drug store at Columbus, which was then a village just coming into existence, the railroad not having reached there at the time. In 1870 Mr. Scott sold out this business, and then took up railroad contracting. His first work in this line was at New Orleans and vicinity, and during the several years in which he followed contracting he was in Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Iowa, northern Missouri, Indian Territory and Arkansas. In 1879 he moved his family to Pittsburg, which had been founded only a short time before, and this has been his home and headquarters ever since, although his duties as railroad contractor have caused him to remain away for long periods of time.

Mr. Scott has been identified with several large enterprises in this city and vicinity. He is a director of the Alexander Land and Lumber Company, whose headquarters are at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and which firm manufactures and deals in lumber, having a number of retail branches throughout Indian Territory. Mr. Scott has recently established in this city the Pittsburg Hydraulic Stone Company, which is a new industry and of which he is manager. This concern is engaged in the making of artificial stone for building purposes, and the product has been found to be of the highest quality and is being extensively used in building. The company has a similar plant at Fort Smith, Arkansas, called the Fort Smith Hydraulic Stone Company.

Mr. Scott was some years ago elected police judge of Pittsburg and served in that office for one term. He is a prominent Mason, having gone through the York Rites and being a member of the commandery and the Mystic Shrine. He was married to Miss Caroline Neff, of Farmington, Iowa, in 1868, and they have four children: Mrs. Lydia Lanyon, Mrs. Mary Braznell, Mrs. Fred Bresee and Forest R. Scott.