| Alpha-Numeric Key: | SB-73 |
| Corporate Name: | Norvell Mills |
| Local Name: | Upper Mill and Lower Mill (Norvell's Mills) |
| Owner Name: | Norvell Mills with Liston ( or Lipscomb) Norvell. Louis Letney. |
| Location: | On Mill Creek, near Brookeland, and the intersection of the Angelina River and Ayish Bayou |
| County: | Sabine |
| Years in Operation: | 11 years |
| Start Year: | 1850 |
| End Year: | 1860 |
| Decades: | 1830-1839,1840-1849,1850-1859,1860-1869 |
| Period of Operation: | Early 1830s to 1860. Sawmilling added in the 1850s. |
| Town: | Near Brookeland |
| Company Town: | 2 |
| Peak Town Size: | Unknown |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Lumber, cornmeal, cotton
 Sawmill |
 Pine Sawmill |
Hardwood Sawmill |
Cypress Sawmill |
| Planer |
Planer Only |
Shingle |
Paper |
| Plywood |
Cotton |
Grist |
Unknown |
| Other |
|
|
|
|
| Power Source: | Water
| Horse |
Mule |
Oxen |
Water |
| Water Overshot |
Water Turbine |
Diesel |
Unknown |
| Pit |
Steam |
Steam Circular |
Steam Band |
| Gas |
Electricity |
Other |
|
|
| Maximum Capacity: | |
| Capacity Comments: | Unknown |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | Sawmill, cotton gin, grist mill |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | None |
| Historicial Development: | A newspaper article in 1955 mentioned a mill that Louis Letney operated where the Ayish Bayou and the Angelina River joined in the year 1832. It was probably a water-powered affair, sawing logs for local consumption. The Census of 1850 reports that the d capitalization of the mill was $3,000. Letney employed three workers, whom he paid a total monthly wage of $36. From two thousand logs, valued at $650, 100,000 feet of lumber was manufactured, at a gross value of $1,000. The Census of 1850 reveals that Letney had a second mill in Jasper County, milling 100,000 feet of lumber. According to the Sabine County Reporter, the Lower Mill of L. Norvell (Letney's Mill) was constructed during the early years of the 1830s. This combination mill was first used for ginning cotton and grinding corn. It is to be distinguished from Norvell's Upper Mill, also on Mill Creek, built in 1844, which also used for producing ginned cotton and cornmeal. Letney's mill passed into the control of Norvell after 1850.
Sawing was not added until sometime during the 1850s. Norvell Mills water-powered sawmill in Sabine County manufactured 144,000 feet of lumber (valued at $1420) during the census year of 1860 The mills employed one worker, and had a $300 d capital investment.
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| Research Date: | MCJ 02-13-96 |
| Prepared By: | M Johnson |