W. H. Burkett was sawmilling in Cherokee County as early as 1879. That year he either bought from or mortgaged to B. C. Rhone an engine, a sawmill, wagons, and machinery.
According to the Census of 1880, W. H. Burnett had $1000 invested in a 20-horsepower steam sawmill in Cherokee County in 1880. The mill ran only six months during the census year ending May 31, 1880. Burnett employed nine hands (four children under sixteen years old), and paid $1.00 to $3.00 per day in wages, totaling $700 for the year. The average work day ranged from was ten to twelve hours. Burkett did his own logging.