Davis Sawmill, LLC: Four generations see much change in timber industry

By DEBRA TUNE

The Prospect-News

DONIPHAN — As a result of a recent search for businesses that have existed for 100 years for the Prospect-News 2024 Progress edition, it later came to light that a local timber company, located three and a half miles east on K Highway, was just what the paper was looking for.

William Davis Jr., wife Deborah and their two sons, William “Billy” Davis III and Douglas Davis, owners of Davis Sawmill, LLC, are the third and fourth generations to continue the family tradition of timber harvesting.

William Jr. said, “We know that my grandfather, Phillip Davis, had a sawmill in Williamsville. We can’t actually trace the tradition back further, but it could have started before that.” He added, “Back then about all you could do to make a living was go into farm or timber work.”

Although the Davis family timber tradition started elsewhere, William Sr. partnered with Bill Emmons to start the current business in about 1958 or 1959 on property which had been inherited by Neacie Davis, Phillip’s wife.

“My grandmother, Neacie, was only about a month old when her mother died. But, she lived to be 107,” shared William Jr.

He and his sons were born into timber work. That’s all they have known, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sawmilling has been a bonding experience for the whole family.

“Some of us were born into it, and some married into it, but it’s the type of work that involves the whole family,” said William Jr.

Today, they cut very little timber off their own property, although about 19 acres at the site of the original home place were cleared at the first.

The original house was built in the early 1900s by Thomas McNinney (Neacie’s grandfather) and remodeled in the 1940s by Neacie and Phillip.

The family home was replaced and William Jr. built a new home on that original site in 1998. The contractor built a replica of the original structure and gave it to the family as a keepsake.

The timber harvesting business has undergone much change over four generations.

Innovations in design and function have made the work much easier than it was in Phillip Davis’ day, said William Jr. Better, more versatile equipment allows crews today to do twice the work in half the time, and the cabs of the vehicles are air conditioned.

Trees are still felled by the use of chainsaws, although sawmills today have the option to use fuel, electric or battery powered versions, said Billy. That wasn’t the case back in Philip’s day. All chain saws were fuel-operated and very expensive.

“They rented their saws, and crews would cut by moonlight, often working through the night so that they only had to pay for one day’s rent,” said William Jr.

The logs were dragged to the mill by teams of horses and maneuvered using raw manpower, cables and hooks.

Today, grapple skidders do the heavy lifting, and the logs and a harvester processor strips the logs, cuts off the tops and drags them to the loader. From there, a knuckle boom loads the trucks, and unloads them once they are brought to the mill.

“Timber work is still a hard life at times, but a very good life,” said William Jr. “Everything these days is mechanized. Nothing is handled until it comes off the back of the mill,” he said.

Douglas does most of the initial cutting using a harvester processor, and much of the mill labor can be accomplished on site.

Each member of the family has a specific area of expertise.

William Jr. hauls the logs to the mill and mostly mans the CTR saw, which cuts the trees to 8-foot and 10-foot lengths (or whatever is needed at the time). Billy runs the sawmill, sawing the logs and edging it all from his cab. Douglas cuts timber and operates the skidder, and also handles maintenance. Deborah takes care of the office.

William Jr. remembers when it took a crew of 12 to keep up with the work load. Today, the mill functions quite efficiently with six employees.

“If it came down to it, and we had to, I have built up the business in such a way that the three of us could run it by ourselves,” said Davis.

Sons Billy and Douglas will certainly carry on the family tradition.

“It’s always been a family business,” said William Jr. The plan is to keep it that way.

He joked, “We’ve got plenty of girls, now,” the implication being the next generation of timber workers will likely have to be made up of husbands to his granddaughters. He and wife, Deborah, have six of them. Billy and his wife, Shannon, have two daughters: Taylor, who is in nursing school, and Tara, a junior in high school. Douglas and his wife, Pam, have four girls: Kaylee studies physical therapy in Springfield, Emilee is in college studying to be a science teacher, Kenzee is a sophomore in high school, and Aubree is in third grade. Emilee’s husband works at the mill, and they also have given the elder Davis their first great-grandson, Miles.