Our History

Herman Christopher Beckman emigrated to the United states in 1856, starting a general store in crown point and moving it to larger facility in Brunswick Indiana in 1858, bringing agrarian products and mail to Chicago and returning with products to the northern Indiana area.  3 of the 9 of his children, born in the general store, moved on from the general store and had invested in and operated several lumber companies along the southern end of lake Michigan. 2 notable companies are Home lumber, established in 1906 and Hegewisch Lumber and supply company  established in 1922 to stop the encroachment of the Chicago lumber companies into Indiana.  Fred Beckman Sr, who served in the United States Army Air Service from 1915 to 1918, and attended University of Pennsylvania, operated Hegewisch Lumber in 1924, and eventually became sole owner. His Son Fred Beckman Jr, continued operating this builder yard after being released from the Marines, in 1958, with his brother Jesse who joined a few years later.   Almost immediately, Fred Jr and Jesse reinvented this builder yard, vertically integrating upstream, by starting  logging and portable sawmill operations in Renssellaer, IN, and focused sales on heavy commercial and industrial accounts.   IN the early 1960’s a mill was built in Chicago. It was at this time America was exporting manufactured and agrarian goods through the great lake ports. The company was renamed to Calumet Harbor Lumber & Supply Co, which service the growing need for lumber and timber servicing the ports of Toledo, Milwaukee and especially the port of Calumet Harbor.  Calumet Harbor Lumber, continued to grow servicing heavy industry along the southern shores of the great lakes.  After Jesse’s retirement in 1978, Fred Jr, continued to expand the product mix to distributing utility poles, and imported lumber, purchasing equipment to manufacturing and continued to grow a reputation to take on just about any job that involved adding value.  Today Fred Jr’s 3 sons, Fred III, Wasson and Rogan, proudly continue this tradition, while adding office wholesaling and sourcing etc.