Four C Mill

R.M. Keith, agent for Central Coal & Coke Co., Kansas City, Mo., in Oct. 1899., began purchasing the virgin pine timberlands of this region. Lumber for construction of a new mill was cut by a small sawmill bought by Keith, Jan. 10, 1901, from local landowner, J.H. Ratcliff. Although known as"Four C" mill, it was operated by the Louisiana and Texas Lumber Co., organized by Keith in July 1901. The mill began sawing lumber in June 1902, producing 300,000 board feet per 11-hour day. The Texas Southeastern Railroad laid tracks from Lufkin; tram roads and tap lines were built into the forest to haul fresh-cut timber to the mill. The company built houses and a "company store" at the mill, and several logging camps in the forest to house and feed lumberjacks. Hostility erupted when Town of Ratcliff was begun nearby, competing for the workers' trade. Between the mill and Ratcliff the company erected a 16-foot fence, which was dynamited several times, thwarting the attempts to establish a company-controlled town. By 1917, the company had exhausted the 120,000 acres it had purchased. The mill was shut down and dismantled in 1920, due to shortage of good timber. Nearby Ratcliff Lake was the Four C millpond.

Four C Mill is a historical marker in Houston County, Texas, dedicated in 1973. It is one of 185 historical markers documented in Houston County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 361 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.3889, -95.1474. The nearest cataloged historic site is Ratcliff (historical marker), about 0.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Allen Chapel Community, Ratcliff CCC Camp, and Coltharp.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5225007040. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.