The Manuscript Census of 1880, reporting for June 1, 1879, to May 31, 1880, detailed the business operations of the Shackelford & Steward sawmill for the six months of its operation. The sawmill, d a capital value of $1,100, employed eight men and one child. The employees received daily wages of $1.00 to $3.00 for ten hour days in the winters and twelve hour days in the summer. Shackelford & Steward paid a total wage of $1,200. From a total value of $3,850 of supplies and sawlogs, the sawmill manufactured 750,00 feet of lumber, worth a gross value of $7,500.
The enumerator's notation reads “The above firm saws oak timber for ___ Kelly Plan[k] factory presently.”