36" gauge, 20 and 35-lb rail
Headquarters:
Mill Location: Albertson, MS (S Moselle) (Jones County)
Mill Capacity: 50,000 ft/day
Years of Operation: 1898-1915
Miles Operated: 12 miles by 1910
Locomotives Owned: 3 known
|
See also: W. C. Albertson
Equipment:
|
Click Maps for Larger Versions |
History
by Gil Hoffman:
On November 1, 1898 J. T. McKinnon and Philip M. Ikeler purchased the
assets of the late W. C. Albertson, at Moselle, MS, from John Kamper. The
purchase included sawmill, planing mill, dry kilns, machine shop, 28 head of
oxen, timber, tram road and locomotives. Kamper had obtained this property
on September 16, 1898 from C. W. Robinson who had been trustee on a deed of
trust from W. C. Albertson, dated October 6, 1896.
On November 12, 1904 McKinnon sold his interest in the property to Ikeler
for $30,000. When Ikeler took over, the logging equipment consisted of a
25-ton Heisler, a 12-ton Grant rod engine, 9 log cars, 11 log wagons and 52
head of oxen.
The Ikeler mill was closed from December 1907 until July 20, 1908 as a
result of the Panic of 1907. During the period of shutdown, Ikeler kept his
sawmill workers busy clearing cut-over lands for farming.
On Sunday morning, October 10, 1909, the sawmill was completely destroyed
by fire. Rebuilding began almost immediately and reached completion in
February 1910. The new mill was a circular type of Filer & Stowell make
with a daily cutting capacity of 50,000 ft. It employed about 75 men and
manufactured general stock for the interior trade with a specialty of
rift-sawed flooring.
In August 1915 the Ikeler mill cut out, after which the planing mill
continued to operate for about two months. In the fall of 1918 the mill was
sold to McWilliams, Wells & Pearson and moved to Grafton, in Greene
County, on the G. M. & N. Blodgett Branch.
Philip M. Ikeler was from Pennsylvania. He began his lumbering career in
the longleaf pine belt of Mississippi in 1891. He worked on salary until
1898, when he formed a partnership with J. T. McKinnon. Besides lumbering,
Ikeler was a director of banks in Hattiesburg, Lumberton and Ellisville, and
owned considerable real estate in the city of Hattiesburg. He also farmed
cut-over lands.
|
ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:
? 0-4-0T? Grant
24000
Purchased from W. C. Albertson, Moselle, MS, on 11-1-98. To P. M.
Ikeler, on 11-12-04.
? 2T Heisler Stearns
1058 9-1902
33 12½x12
50000
Purchased new. To P. M. Ikeler, on 11-12-04. Sold to Hand-Jordan Lumber
Co., Purvis, MS, about 1914, and converted to standard gauge; to Bay Creek
Lumber Co., Purvis, MS, on 4-20-16; to General Equipment Co., New Orleans,
LA, on 7-21-19; to Christian Kurz, Helena, AR, converted back to 36-inch
gauge
? 2-6-0 Baldwin
14088 9-1894
37 13x18 50000
Purchased by P. M. Ikeler from Lovelace Lumber Co. #99, Brewton, AL. In
service by 8-1907. Built as Blacksher-Miller Lumber Co. #99 "Agnes
Lee," Brewton, AL, to Lovelace Lumber Co. #99, Brewton, AL, on
12-7-03. Baldwin class 8-20 D 92
|