Kimble County's First Sawmill
Junction, Kimble County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Started 1877 on South Llano River by pioneers Claud, Lon and Sel Denman. Waterpower created by mill dam built by Claud, a stonemason. House at 210 E. Main is of their rawhide lumber, cut from local wood-- used green before it warped and got too tough for nailing. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK, 1966.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1877 the Denman brothers—Claud, Lon, and Sel—started Kimble County's first sawmill on the South Llano River, powered by a mill dam that Claud, a stonemason, built himself. The green "rawhide" lumber they cut had to be nailed before it warped and hardened; a house still standing on East Main was framed from it. Their enterprise brought milled wood to a remote stretch of the Texas Hill Country frontier.
Why it matters
The first local sawmill was a foundational industry that let frontier communities move from log cabins to framed buildings, marking a step toward permanence.
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Related people
- · Claud Denman
- · Lon Denman
- · Sel Denman
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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