| Alpha-Numeric Key: | AG-44 |
| Corporate Name: | Union Mills |
| Local Name: | Baker's Mill, Union Mills, Chapman's Mill |
| Owner Name: | Baker Mill. Walter Chapman. Union |
| Location: | Baker, a rail stop on the Cotton Belt in 1901, between Clawson and Pollok |
| County: | Angelina |
| Years in Operation: | 17 years |
| Start Year: | 1890 |
| End Year: | 1906 |
| Decades: | 1890-1899,1900-1909 |
| Period of Operation: | About 1890 to 1906 |
| Town: | Baker |
| Company Town: | 2 |
| Peak Town Size: | Unknown |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Rough lumber
 Sawmill |
 Pine Sawmill |
Hardwood Sawmill |
Cypress Sawmill |
| Planer |
Planer Only |
Shingle |
Paper |
| Plywood |
Cotton |
Grist |
Unknown |
| Other |
|
|
|
|
| Power Source: | Steam
| Horse |
Mule |
Oxen |
Water |
| Water Overshot |
Water Turbine |
Diesel |
Unknown |
| Pit |
Steam |
Steam Circular |
Steam Band |
| Gas |
Electricity |
Other |
|
|
| Maximum Capacity: | 5000: 1900 |
| Capacity Comments: | Several thousand board feet daily |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Most likely a circular sawmill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | St Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) |
| Historicial Development: | The community of Baker, between Pollok and Clawson, was a stop on the Cotton Belt from the 1880s to the early 1900s. Archie Birdsong Matthews, in his thesis, noted that the Baker sawmill operated before 1900, cutting only several thousand feet of lumber daily. It must have closed by 1900 or 1901, for the post office closed the later year. l The sawmill of Union Mills was installed there sometime later. American Lumberman in May 1906 reported that Union Mills had installed its planing mill and was running full time.
This possibly be the Walter Chapman mill referred to here. Walter Chapman of Chapman's Mill at Bakers was reported by (Nacogdoches) The Weekly Sentinel on August 8, 1900, to have been seriously injured while trying to gum a saw on a 10-inch emory wheel. The emory wheel burst. |
| Research Date: | JKG 9-28-93, MCJ 01-12-96 |
| Prepared By: | J. Gerland, M. Johnson |