In order to serve the growing population at and near Knoxville, Charles Smith built a plant that included a distillery, a sawmill, a grist mill, and a flour mill. Knoxville, located on the Tyler to Rusk road, existed prior to 1853 and disappeared after the International & Great Northern passed the town in the 1870s. Charles, brother of John and Rufus Smith, moved to Nacogdoches, dying “there in a mill accident about 1869.” Later operators were Jacob Goodman and Brit Barron.