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The reason the Albertson came was because of the virgin yellow pine trees. Their were sawmills everywhere they came stripped the land and left. Upon leaving they left only names of the communities and some old sawmill housing for the workers. South Mississippi is still called the Piney Woods.
Source: WPA Records on Moselle-Albertson
In 1883 the first trains came over the New Orleans & Northeastern Railroad, and Dr. Butler and Mr. Davis tells us that just about 50 yards from the Moselle post office the railroad station was built and called Tusconola, and Indian name. Both names were used for a number of years, but when Dr. Butler moved there in 1904 both places were called Moselle. He is under the impression that they were combined I or a short time before 1900.
In 1883 W.C. Albertson, a young man of 28, came from Columbia County, Pennsylvania, and built a mill about three-quarters of a mile south of town. He put in his own railroad, and business flourished.
This villages of Moselle and Albertson were separately incorporated, but being so near together it seemed wise to build churches and schools that would serve both towns therefore, they were put on a section line at the north and of Albertson and the southern boundary of Moselle. Albertson, with a population of 150, had a greater number of children to attend school. These two little places had so much in common that it is hard to discuss one without speaking of the other.
Between 1891 and 1893 the mill burned and then a little one was built near the surfacing, or planed mill. Just now time seemed ripe for a larger mill and the owner sent back to Pennsylvania for two good carpenters, the Montgomery brothers, to come and build one. They worked at it for 13 or 14 months, and two months before it was completed Mr. Albertson was shot in the leg by a disgruntled worker who, with his partner, had been discharged.
They insisted that the owner owed them four dollars, and shot him as he was leaving his commissary about dusk. He stayed in his room for two months, then on a cold day he went out to the mill to measure some belts. He contracted pneumonia from the exposure and died a week later–1898 or 1899. He owed $27,000 that could not be met, and at the end of six months his property was sold at auction. John Kamper bought it in for the creditors for $12,000 and they turned it over to two young men, McKinnon of Ellisville and Ikeler of Pennsylvania–the latter a relative of the Albertsons–who had proved their ability in managing the mill. The two paid off the indebtedness and the business and turned over to them.. Both made money. Eventually Ikeler bought out McKennon and Made quite a little fortune for himself.
Source 2
The Albertson's are buried at the Old Hopewell Methodist Church Cemetery in the back with a baby. The two adult graves has no marker, but being W. C. Albertson died in Albertson one must think that the two adult grave buried next to the baby Albertson grave that was mark would be W. C. Albertson and his wife. The cemetery is right next to the Leaf River and is still kelp up. A member of the church donated money so that the cemetery would always be kelp up the cemetery is still in use. Not much is known about the Albertson's. The Albertson that owned the sawmill was shot by a disgrundalled worker in the leg and died from the infection caused by the gun shot. There is no sign where the sawmill might have been.
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