The Coley & Son Lumber Company at Livingston began in 1954 as a partnership between W. K. and Billy Coley. By 1958, according to the Directory of Texas Manufacturers 1956-1958, the sawmill was producing railroad crossties with a workforce of less than twenty. The mill eventually became known as Coley's Tie Mill. Samson reported that in 1966 the plant produced rough and dressed lumber as well as other items of manufacturing.