McIver-Shaw Lumber Company
1946-2006

The McIver-Shaw Lumber Company was founded in 1946 by Evander Roderick "Rick" McIver, Jr. and Charles Shaw, a notable figure in the lumber industry. Returning from military service in World War II, Rick McIver noted the lack of retail lumber service in the area, especially following the closure of Conway Lumber Company in 1944. Before trucking transportation was available in the area, McIver and Shaw purchased property next to the railroad tracks on Lakeside Drive and built the warehouse. The lumberyard served as a key source for lumber and building supplies in the Conway area for decades, with McIver becoming known as a Southern Yellow Pine expert. Rick McIver was also a significant local figure and a charter member of the Horry County Historical Society. He was appointed by President Eisenhower and later reappointed by President Kennedy to head the South Carolina Civil Rights Commission.

Many Conway residents remember a sense of adventure about the place from childhood memories, as well as the quality of lumber and service available when working on home renovation or repairs later as adults. The impact of McIver-Shaw is particularly apparent in the surrounding Mayfair and Pineview neighborhoods. The development of these neighborhoods in the 1950s was tied to industrial businesses along the railroad tracks, including companies like Creel Oil and Gas, H. P. Little's brick manufacturing, Stilley Plywood, and Horry Ice Company. Developed in the mid-20th century to provide worker's cottages for the employees of the industrial businesses located along the nearby railroad tracks, the original homes were typically one-story frame houses in a "Minimal Traditional" style. 

Unlike the emerging competition from big-box retailers, McIver-Shaw offered personalized service in "dressing" lumber. Using well-maintained machinery dating as far back as the late 1800s, McIver processed custom orders for trim, tongue-and-groove flooring, and Dutch-lap siding as a way to distinguish quality product from the oncoming glut of manufactured and mass-produced building material. He even maintained the traditional craft of creating custom metal blades to match historic mouldings in need of repair or replacement. The tools, machines, and fresh blades are left behind in working order as they were last used, ready to be used again to create new custom mouldings from reclaimed material. 

McIver-Shaw Lumber Company closed its doors in 2006, largely due to competition from big-box retailers, but this treasure-trove of local history must be preserved, not discarded. Through volunteer community efforts, we are working to save this piece of Conway history by:

• Listing the structures on the National Historic Register
  
• Renovating the site as a place to find reclaimed local lumber
  
• Creating a working museum of trade craft and machinery

The tools and trade skills preserved at McIver-Shaw Lumber Company are much more than a piece of history. By preserving and passing on this incredible cultural knowledge, we teach future generations how to use traditional skills to better connect to People, Place, and Planet.

Lumber Industry in Horry County

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Resources for more information:

• Full interview with E. R. "Rick" McIver on site at McIver-Shaw Lumber Company 
  
• Full interview with E. R. "Rick" McIver on personal and local history
  
• ​Horry County Historical Society ​
• Historical and Architectural Survey of Conway
• Horry County Historic Resource Survey 
• Horry County, South Carolina, 1730-1993, Catherine Lewis 
• The Lumber Boom of Coastal South Carolina, Robert McAlister 
• Coastal Carolina University Digital Commons 
• "Boats float where huge sawmill once operated in Conway," My Horry News
• "The sawmill at Enterprise," Archaeological Consultants of the Carolinas