In February 1937, W.P. Brown & Sons Lumber Co. signed a contract with Alabama Power for an estimated 20,000,000 feet of saw timber. The south end of Brown's property was located 1,000 feet back of this site and extended northward ¾ mile. During its twelve years of operation at Blanche, Brown Lumber Co. employed 1,706 people, and the TAG Railroad, which ran alongside the sawmill, played a very important role in transporting the lumber to market.