The Village of Albers, Illinois, is a small rural community located along Illinois Route 161 and the Southern Railway in the southwest portion of Clinton County. Its location in the northeast part of Lookingglass Township has enabled the community to attract farm trade, not only from that township, but also from Sugar Creek Township to the north, Breese Township to the northeast, and Germantown Township to the east. In years past, Albers was sometimes referred to as "the biggest little town in Illinois", a tribute to the amount of business it did in comparison to its size, both in terms of population and area. In the past, the Village gained recognition as the site of Monterey Coal Mine #2, previously one of Illinois' largest. Though its history covers a time span of barely more than a century, as Clinton County's youngest community, Albers has a very interesting past.