Houston and Beasely, according to the 1860 Census, operated a multi-mill combination producing lumber, meal, and flour, with capital investments of $1,000 invested in the sawmill and $2,000 in the grist mill. They paid four men a total monthly wage of $84 in lumber operations, and one man $30 monthly at the grist mill. Raw materials included $930 in trees, $2,500 in corn, and $500 in wheat. The mills manufactured 300,000 feet of lumber worth $3,750, 3,000 bushels of meal worth $3,000, and 60 bushels of flour worth $360.