James R. Freeman located a sawmill a mile down the road from his Freeman Lumber Company plant at Leggett in 1886. The following year he sold it to Jefferson Lumber Company. The latter firm operated the mill until 1889.
Polk County Bill of Sale Record Vol A records that J. R. Freeman sold a steam sawmill to J. W. Temby of Harris County in 1887 for $10,000. The property included a 50-horsepower steam engine, boiler, pumps, shafting, etc., a steam locomotive, all rails on the tramway, three tram cars, twelve yokes of oxen, four cart two dry kilns, all lumber at the mill, and all the remaining timber on the John Bland league west of King Creek in Polk County that had bought by Freeman of George W. Davis.
When Thompson and Tucker moved from Willard to Freeman, the town was named New Willard.