| Alpha-Numeric Key: | NA-134 |
| Corporate Name: | Hardeman Brothers |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | Hardeman brothers. Major Black Hardeman |
| Location: | Rocky Branch, Beat number 2, 1860 Census, several miles south of Melrose |
| County: | Nacogdoches |
| Years in Operation: | 11 years |
| Start Year: | 1850 |
| End Year: | 1860 |
| Decades: | 1850-1859,1860-1869 |
| Period of Operation: | Rocky Branch, Beat number 2, 1860 Census, several miles south of Melrose |
| Town: | Probably near Etoile |
| Company Town: | 2 |
| Peak Town Size: | Unknown |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Lumber and cornmeal
 Sawmill |
 Pine Sawmill |
Hardwood Sawmill |
Cypress Sawmill |
| Planer |
Planer Only |
Shingle |
Paper |
| Plywood |
Cotton |
Grist |
Unknown |
| Other |
|
|
|
|
| Power Source: | Steam
| Horse |
Mule |
Oxen |
Water |
| Water Overshot |
Water Turbine |
Diesel |
Unknown |
| Pit |
Steam |
Steam Circular |
Steam Band |
| Gas |
Electricity |
Other |
|
|
| Maximum Capacity: | 8000: 1860 |
| Capacity Comments: | About 8,000 feet daily. 840,000 feet of lumber during the reporting period of the Census of 1860. |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Sawmill and grist mill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | None |
| Historicial Development: | Major Black Hardeman, according to Journal, in 1904, had a sawmill “in a splendid pinery on Rocky Branch. . .”. It was one of the first mills in the county. The Weekly Sentinel noted in 1907 some of the mill's history. B. M. Hall, for $100, hauled the old steam machinery to the mill site, located several miles south of Melrose, driving a four-yoke oxen team from Natchitoches, Louisiana. One man operated the carriage, which, like all of the machinery, was primitive. The old time iron pins known as ‘dogs' were used in holding the logs in place and keeping them from slipping. The sawyer started the engine by pulling a long lever which connected with the throttle. If the log to be sawed was very larger several running starts had to be taken in order to get the saw through the log. There were no such thing as an endless chain for conveying the slabs away, nor was there anything to take the sawdust out of the way. The slabs were picked by a mill helper and ‘totted' away, and the sawdust was shoveled into carts and hauled to a dumping place.” Weatherboarding consisted of sap lumber with some of the bark on it, selling for 35 cents a hundred. Boxing sold for 50 cents a hundred feet. “Major Hardeman's mill was operated for several years and served a useful purpose in the development of its locality. For miles and miles farmers came with old-time ox wagons and hauled home the lumber they needed. “In those days there were no dry kilns or planers, and when a customer bought his lumber he carried it home and dried it out by placing the material against a rude scaffold and building a fire on the ground beneath it.” Planing was done with a hand plane. Hardeman's mill was the largest in 1860. The sawmill and grist mill manufactured 840,000 feet of lumber (valued at $8400) and produced 17,550 bushels of meal (valued at $17,500) during the census year, working four to five men and one woman in the lumber business and two men in the meal business. Total wages paid during a month were about $215. Total capital invested in the entire plant was $6000.
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| Research Date: | MCJ 04-22-96 |
| Prepared By: | M Johnson |