The Gastons, according to the 1860 Census, operated a multi-mill combination producing lumber, meal, and flour, with capital investments of $5,000 invested in the sawmill and $10,000 in the grist mill. They paid ten men a total monthly wage of $210 in lumber operations, and five men $100 monthly at the grist mill. Raw materials included $10,000 in trees, $12,000 in corn, and $1,000 in wheat. During the reporting period, the mills manufactured 1,500,000 feet of lumber worth $18,750, 14,000 bushels of meal worth $14,000, and 200 bushels of flour worth $1,200.