The G. W. Shaw sawmill was listed in the edition of the Reference Book of the Lumbermen's Credit Association, January 1905 but not in the Southern Industrial and Lumber Review listing of September 1906. It was listed again in 1907 by the LCA.
As early as 1901, G. W. Shaw and his wife were ginning cotton at or near Troupe, according to Smith County records. Also according to the records, Shaw may have had an interest in the Troupe Box & Lumber Company, for he sold land to the company in 1904.