Crosby was originally named Dayton in 1884, as a tribute to landowner David Day, who provided a right-of-way for the
Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad (Y&MV). In 1900, the population of Dayton was 30. By 1916, the Foster Creek Lumber Company had acquired around of timberland in Wilkinson and Amite Counties, which included Dayton. At that time, two Stephenson brothers from Michigan were building several sawmills in south Mississippi and purchased the Foster Creek Lumber Company landholdings. The Stephenson brothers had a new sawmill constructed as well as a new town that included modern homes, a commissary, and post office near the Y&MV railroad. The old town of Dayton was moved to the new town which was renamed Stephenson. By July 1917, the sawmill was completed and started processing lumber. Because the Stephenson brothers were most interested in building sawmills rather than operating them, they sold their interest in the Foster Creek Lumber and Manufacturing Company in 1918. The Foster Creek Lumber Company sawmill at Stephenson continued to operate through the 1920s. Because the company was heavily mortgaged, it was negatively impacted by the
Great Depression in 1929, and the sawmill closed in 1931. In January 1934,
L.O. Crosby Sr., a wealthy, self-made lumberman from
Picayune, Mississippi purchased Foster Creek Lumber and Manufacturing Company including the sawmill, the town of Stephenson, and of timberland. The town of Stephenson was renamed Crosby on April 4, 1934. L.O. Crosby reactivated the Stephenson sawmill in 1934 under the name Crosby Lumber and Manufacturing Company, and the sawmill continued to operate for another 28 years, shutting down in November 1963. In 1965, Crosby Lumber and Manufacturing sold its landholdings in the area to St. Regis Paper Company, and the Crosby sawmill was sold to Hood Lumber Company. ==Geography==