| Alpha-Numeric Key: | TY-43 |
| Corporate Name: | William Cameron and Company |
| Local Name: | |
| Owner Name: | William Cameron and Company. Aldridge Lumber Company with W. H. Aldridge, J. F. Collier, J. W. Delaney, F. M. Aldridge, and G.W. Collier. Rockland Lumber Company with: J. A. Carroll, J. W. Delaney, and A. D. Carroll. |
| Location: | Rockland, near the Neches River. |
| County: | Tyler |
| Years in Operation: | 26 years |
| Start Year: | 1887 |
| End Year: | 1912 |
| Decades: | 1880-1889,1890-1899,1900-1909,1910-1919 |
| Period of Operation: | Rockland 1887; Aldridge 1890; William Cameron 1898 to 1912 |
| Town: | Rockland |
| Company Town: | 1 |
| Peak Town Size: | 300 in 1905; 800 in 1910 |
| Mill Pond: |  |
| Type of Mill: | Rough and finished 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: | 40000: 1893 120000: 1905 |
| Capacity Comments: | 40,000 feet daily in 1893 to 120,000 feet daily under Cameron |
| Produced: |
| Rough Lumber |
Planed Lumber |
Crossties |
Timbers |
| Lathe |
Ceiling |
Unknown |
Beading |
| Flooring |
Paper |
Plywood |
Particle Board |
| Treated |
Other |
| |
|
| Equipment: | A single circular sawmill with planing mill and dry kilns. The engine generated 350-horsepower and planer engine generated 225-horsepower under Cameron. |
| Company Tram: | |
| Associated Railroads: | Texas & New Orleans |
| Historicial Development: | Joseph A. Carroll, J.W. Delaney, Rockland's first postmaster, and A.D. Carroll were the genesis of the Rockland Lumber Company, which began operating before 1890. It employed about seventy-five men with a daily capacity of 50,000 board.1889. The mill was sold to W. Hal Aldridge in 1890, and J. W. Delaney stayed on as a director to form the Aldridge Lumber Company with Aldridge in 1891. The Spring Creek Lumber Company, according to a newspaper report, was sold to Aldridge about the same time along with its tram road. By late 1892, the mill's tram road bridged the Neches River into Angelina County toward Lufkin. The mill was expanded in 1893. It burned in late 1894 or early 1895, but was rebuilt and operating again by August 1895. William Cameron and Company acquired the sawmill at Rockland in 1898.
Located near the Neches River, water supply was never a serious problem, and it was one of Cameron's finest and most modern Texas mills. Even John Henry Kirby considered buying the mill in 1905. It was a single circular saw sawmill, but rated daily capacities often approached 120,000 board feet. The plant ran nights in order to gain such high numbers. It had an electrical power plant that supplied lighting to the mill, commissary, and offices. Operations shut down in June 1912 because of inadequate timber supplies. |
| Research Date: | JKG 12-6-93, MCJ 02-21-96 |
| Prepared By: | J. Gerland, M. Johnson |