After the Union Navy burned his sawmill and plantation complex in late 1862, Judge Wingate retreated north to Newton County in order to secure his slaves. Wingate settled near his brother-in-law, Alfred Farr, a Methodist preacher and fellow slave owner, who operated a plantation, which was supported by a water-powered combination cotton gin, gristmill, and sawmill on Big Cow Creek. Here Wingate built a small sawmill powered with an 8-horsepower steam engine. The mill was not financially successful, for the Civil War, despite the periodic successes of the Confederate blockade runners, had nearly crushed the Texas economy. The sawmill operated intermittently until it burned down.