James A. Hays was a postmaster at Dodge, in Walker County, when he began sawmilling about 1882. His Webb & Hays Lumber Company went bankrupt in 1891, but he was soon sawmilling at or near Phelps. Hays & Gossage were reported to be cutting 25,000 feet daily at Phelps in 1893. W. T. Blocks believes that Hays soon died or Gossage bought him out, for many mortgages exist after 1893 for J. M. Gossage and Company at Roark's Switch. J. M. Gossage, in June, 1892, regained some of the old Hays equipment earlier auctioned off to Smithers, including a planer-matcher, three log cars and a tram engine.
The final entry, in October, 1907, refers to the sawmill plant as “being the old Campbell outfit.” It seems that S. Campbell had leased the sawmill from before 1907 until it came under the control of the firm of Gossage & Hornbuckle, who would lease their sawmill near Huntsville to Campbell.