In 1898, Henry Bovis discovered the forests surrounding St. Andrews Bay, Florida, and founded the St. Andrews Lumber Company sawmill there. In 1901 it was sold to a German company, and was renamed the German-American Lumber Company. It was organized in Pensacola, and became one of the largest lumber companies in the country. In 1906, Millville was made their site of operations. Most of the stock was owned by German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm.
During World War I, pro-German literature and guns were found at the mill, and the United States Government seized the mill. The mill then operated as the American Lumber Company. In 1919, it was bought by Minor C. Keith and Walter C. Sherman, and they renamed it the St. Andrews Bay Lumber Company. It prospered in the 1920s, and the area was incorporated into greater Panama City in 1926. The mill closed in 1930 due to lack of suitable lumber, and it burned on March 22, 1931.
From the description of German-American Lumber Company Records, 1891-1923. (Florida State University). WorldCat record id: 50652725
