In 1905, two young mercantile clerks from Meridian, Mississippi formed a partnership that would have an influence on the lives of residents throughout the mid-South for generations to come. Richard H. Molpus and M.H. Henderson formed Henderson-Molpus Mercantile Store, the predecessor to Molpus Lumber Company. Under the leadership of Richard Henderson Molpus, the son of the original founder, Molpus Lumber Company continued its growth and eventually became the 10th largest independently-owned lumber manufacturer in the United States.

In 1911, the company filled a void in the trade area by opening a small lumberyard consisting of a dry kiln and planer mill. This proved to be a very successful enterprise as a year-end inventory revealed 11million feet of lumber on the yard. By the start of World War II, the company had its first sawmill and soon contracted with the U.S. government to construct ammunition boxes to send to the troops overseas.

After years of growth in the lumber industry, Molpus Hardwood Company was formed in 1969 to best utilize the existing timber mix. In 1974, the company opened a facility in Morton, Mississippi, which became one of the nation's largest and most technologically-advanced sawmills.

As timber resources grew, the focus of the company moved away from lumber production. In 1984, with the sale of its Philadelphia,Mississippi mill to Louisiana-Pacific, The Molpus Company ended an era of mill operation.  However, the company continued its forest products legacy merchandising timber throughout the mid-South in order to achieve the products' highest and best use.

In 1996, Molpus Woodlands Group was established as a timberland investment management organization with its executive office in Jackson, Mississippi. MWG has purchased, on behalf of clients, over 1.7 million acres and is currently managing over 734,000 acres valued at approximately $719 million.

Molpus Timberlands Management, LLC is the timberland management arm of The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC and serves the timber management needs of MWG's clients' large holdings in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York. The operational headquarters is in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and five satellite offices are located in Waynesboro, Mississippi; Lake Charles and Monroe, Louisiana; Birmingham, Alabama; and, Richmond, Kentucky; as well as the tree nursery in Elberta, Alabama and the administrative office in Philadelphia, Mississippi.  In conjunction with the third-party marketing firm, Molpus Woodlands Advisors, with offices located in Boston, Massachusetts; Jackson, Mississippi; Portland, Oregon; and Memphis, Tennessee, Molpus Woodlands Group is able to continue the tradition of servicing the needs of its clients.

MWG is currently under the leadership of a third generation of the Molpus family, as Dick Molpus is continuing its 100+ year tradition of success in the timber business.