Post Offices

The actual Alderson community began in Palestine.  All of the community was served  by a post office there established April 3, 1839. (How postal service was provided prior to that time is not know.)  The First postmaster of Palestine was Thomas C. M. Alderson, and seventeen postmasters served until the office was discontinued October 12, 1886.  The last Palestine postmaster was Abram O. Baker.  Years later an application was made to the Post Office Department to reactivate the Palestine post office, but Palestine in Wirt County West Virginia had been established.  Advance was chosen as the name in place of Palestine and on March 1, 1909 the Advance, West Virginia, post office was established with A. J. Jones as postmaster.  On January 31, 1913 Advance was discontinued.  It had but one postmaster.  On February 6, 1872, Alderson, Monroe County, West Virginia, post office was established with Abraham E. T. Scruggs as postmaster.  The office has been in two or three locations on the Monroe side.  The present attractive building was finished in 1936 at a cost of about $50,000.00 including land.  On July 1, 1918, the Alderson post office became second-class, its present class, when Joseph N. Alderson was postmaster.  The present postmaster is Duncan M. Johnston.  The Alderson post office serves about 5000 people including the Federal Reformatory, in three counties.  There are five star routes and two RFD routes. Cash receipts in 1963 were $22,392.65 and the office is credited with about $8,700.00 additional for the free Government mailing for the Reformatory, which is about 30% of all mail handled.  The post office has ten Civil Service employees plus star route contractors.
Photos of Alderson's Post Offices.
Comments - John McCurdy

Next, the Military History of Alderson

The contents contained in this series is copyrighted and the sole property of The Greenbrier Historical Society - Lewisburg, WV
Used by permission - November 18, 2008