Pictured are residents of Pleasant Shade and workers of the Bob Williams sawmill in about 1912.
L-r: children of Bob Williams - Madge, Ruth and Franz.
Back row: unknown, Bob Williams, unknown, Dick Jones, unknown,
Charlie Williams (brother to Bob) and Jasper Jenkins.

Notes by Tom Dickerson: The sawmill was located in Pleasant Shade north of the intersection
of the Sloan Branch Road and Highway 80 and on the east side of the Boston Branch. It was a
significant business during its time and employed a number of people. The site was near the
Williams Cedar Chest shop noted on the schematic of Pleasant Shade posted on this website
under "Miscellaneous Pictures". (The cedar chest shop was owned and operated by Alton
Williams, son of Bob and grandfather of Beth Sloan Wilburn.) The sawmill burned in the mid1930s.

Go To Pleasant Shade Map Late 1940's to Early 1950's

Many of the children of Bob Williams are also pictured in the 1919
Pleasant Shade School picture posted on this website.

Go To Pleasant Shade School Picture - 1919

Jasper Jenkins is the man who killed Pony Hackett in downtown Pleasant Shade in 1914.
There is a picture of Pony and write-up of this tragedy posted on this website.

Go To Elijah Leonard (Pony) Hackett Pictures

My father-in-law, Webb A. Russell, said he remembers going to this saw mill as a small boy in the
early 1930s. He said it was a scary place with all of the wheels, pulleys, shafts and belts turning to
provide power for the various sawing and milling operations.

I have a story about Bob Williams and my grandfather, John Dickerson, that relates to this saw mill.
Located on John's property was an unusually large American Red Elm tree and its existence was well
know in the community. It rose many feet before there were any limbs and the limbs themselves were
large enough for saw logs. My grandfather cut it down because it was shading his crops and left it to
decay in a gully. Bob Williams found out about this and said,"John, I hear that you cut the "big elm".
What do you take for it?" John said, "Ah nothing, its not worth anything, I'll give it to you". Bob said,
"Oh, it's worth something, I'll give you a dollar!" So Bob hauled the log to his sawmill and made lumber
of it. He said it made some of the finest red lumber he had ever seen.