Early Texas Sawmill

One-fourth mile north to site of Early Texas Sawmill Texas' first million-dollar industry - lumbering - was born to recorded history with the building of two sawmills in 1819. One, located on Ironosa Creek in present San Augustine County, was run by pioneer Wm. Ward; the other was in Nacogdoches. In 1825 yet another mill (one-fourth mi. N) was turning out about 500 board feet of lumber a day. Wm. Quirk was miller. In these times, trees were felled using an ax and a wedge. Then one end of each huge log was slung under a heavy cart and dragged to a stream or road. At the mill the logs were often stored in a mill pond, to keep them from rotting, and then they were sawed by various methods. Two primitive ones -- soon abandoned -- were pit sawing (a slow, exhausting two-man process) and the muley-mill, powered by animals. A later improvement was the sash saw, which was so nearly effortless that one old-timer claimed the attendant "could read the Bible or the ' Galveston News' while the saw was cutting". In the mid-19th century, logging served as a pivot-point for dozens of subsidiary industries; railroad building and lumbering had a strong mutual influence and the gusto of loggers' lore is still alive in the rich heritage of the Piney Woods. (1969)

Early Texas Sawmill is a historical marker in San Augustine, San Augustine County, dedicated in 1969. It is one of 51 historical markers documented in San Augustine County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 161 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.5313, -94.1167 near San Augustine. The nearest cataloged historic site is San Augustine (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Horn-Polk House, Polk House, and San Augustine County Courthouse.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5405007611. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.