As part of the convict lease system, Camp Wright was established in 1906 to house convict laborers, near present-day Maydelle, Texas. These chain gangs built the Mewshaw State Sawmill in 1908 and worked there until 1912 when the sawmill burned down. Convicts cut lumber to be used as charcoal for the iron smelting furnace at Rusk Penitentiary as well as for railroad ties. The sawmill was named for Captain J.T. Mewshaw, state penitentiary supervisor. Notice the measures used to prevent prisoner escape. | Source: The History Center at DibollDownload Original File
