The Carter-Kelley sawmill at Manning was organized and built by W.T. Carter, Sr. and George A. Kelley in 1906. Carter was a prominent East Texas sawmiller and Kelley, a former master machinist for Allis and Company of Milwaukee, was perhaps the most knowledgeable man of sawmill machinery to ever reach East Texas. Kelley was also an early organizer of the Lufkin Land and Lumber Company sawmill at Lufkin. The Carter-Kelley partnership was established to cut a large tract of long leaf timber in southern Angelina County owned by the W.T. Carter and Bro. Lumber Company. The Manning mill was built in the summer of 1906, and was well into operations in 1907. The Manning sawmill ran at nights until at least 1914, and thereafter the mill was reported often as not running a night shift. Commenting on the early operations of the Manning mill, W.T. Carter was quoted in the October 1908 issue of the Southern Industrial and Lumber Review as saying the Manning sawmill was “built purposely for double shift operation.” “Without a night run,” Carter said, “it would not pay to operate the plant.” Fire struck the sawmill plant in both 1912 and 1916, but the saw and planing mills were soon rebuilt.
W. T. Carter & Bro bought out Kelley in 1928. When fire destroyed the sawmill again in January 1935, however, the plant began its closing.