Tubbe was one of Nacogdoches County's most enduring early sawmillers. Rev. August Tubbe established a grist and saw mill on banks of LaNana Bayou prior to 1880, for his grinding and milling rates at the sawmill and the grist mill were advertised in the Nacogdoches News in 1877. Tubbe's sawmill is enumerated in the Census of 1880. For the Census year ending May 31, 1880, A. Tubbe operated a sawmill in precinct One, Nacogdoches County, on Dorr Creek. Tubbe ran his mill ten months that year, employing seven hands (two of which were over sixteen years of age), and paying $1 to $2 per nine to ten hour day. He did all his own logging, and had $5,000 invested in the entire lumber manufacturing business. His single circular sawmill was powered by a level water turbine which produced 24 horsepower at 150 revolutions per minute.
He converted his water-powered operation to a steam mill, most likely after the Texas & New Orleans railroad had reached Tubbe Mill by January 18, 1900, according to The Daily Sentinel. In October, 1902, Tubbe contracted with Turner & Nabers Lumber Company of Beaumont to supply the latter with its entire output for a year.
In June 1904 this mill was reported to be cutting 30,000 feet per day and having around 500,000 feet of manufactured lumber in the yard. Although still a small mill, the operation employed thirty men, and, in addition to cutting lumber, ginned cotton and ground corn. The last record of the Tubbe mill is in 1906, when it was reported to be cutting 60,000 feet per day. To cut such an amount, improvements were obviously made. It is believed the Tubbe mill was dismantled sometime after 1910.