The Moore family migrated from PawPaw, Illinois to central Connecticut in the 1820’s. They settled on the western side of this area in what was known at that time as Simsbury. The first two generations were builders and carpenters. By the 1870’s, there was an ever increasing need for lumber for building and the family started a local sawmill. The next two generations operated it as a portable sawmill, using horses in the woods to skid logs, and a steam boiler and steam engine to run the sawmill. The steam facility was finally made permanent in 1921 by E.L. Moore. It is still located on Mountain Avenue at the junction of Duncaster Road. It was operated there until 1974, and was the last steam driven commercial sawmill in New England. The mill and its surrounding enclosure still stand today.

   Ivan N. Moore operated two portable sawmills in addition to the steam mill until 1969. The portable mills were moved from logging site to logging site, because it was easier to bring the sawmill to the forest rather than bring the logs to the sawmill. Today, the reverse is more economical.

   In 1977 Donald Moore started construction of a new building and sawmill plant. A new electrically driven sawmill was put into operation in July 1979. The new mill has a capacity of over 500,000 board feet per year. In 1981 a second building was erected, which houses a modern flooring and planing shop and is dedicated to warehousing kiln dried lumber and associated flooring products.

   In 1996 a 3000 board foot Nyle dehumidification kiln was installed and brought online. The kiln dries approximately 75,000 board feet of mixed species annually.

   The Moore family today represents eight generations to have lived on the same piece of property. Jim and Doug, the fifth generation to be in the lumber business, are currently operating the sawmill and flooring shop.