Smith, Parker, and Sanford, according to the Census of 1870, ran a steam mill in 1870 in Shelby County that manufactured lumber, ground meal, and ginned cotton. With raw materials including $1,250 in logs, 4,800 bushels of corn at $4,800, and 135 pounds of cotton, they produced 124,000 feet of lumber ($1,240), $5,280 worth of cornmeal, and $22,500 worth of ginned cotton. During the grist and cotton season of three months, three men earned a total of $400. The lumber mill operated for twelve months with five men earning $2,000.