The W. F. S. Wilkins mill was listed in a railroad directory in 1884. In 1880, W. F. S. Wilkins had a large sawmill in nearby Precinct 4 of Harrison County. The mill in Precinct 4 was d a capital value of $4,000 in the Census. It normally employed eighteen and added two more at peak production. The men were paid from $1.40 to $1.75 daily. They worked nine-hour shifts in the winter and eleven-hour shifts in the summer. Wilkins paid $5,000 in total wages. In seven months of operation, the sawmill, from $14,500 in supplies and sawlogs, manufactured 2,500,000 feet of lumber worth a gross value of $25,000.