1928 - Alderson High School - 1968
From Lamplighters To Politics
From The History Of Alderson
The
subject
of
politics
today
has
become
critical,
and
even
dangerous.
When
it
is
executed
properly,
the
country
needs
it
to
make
sure
things
go
smoothly.
(The
word
“executed”
could
certainly
apply
in
today’s
politics)
Back
when
Alderson
was
settled,
someone
had
to
make
sure
that
certain
functions
of
the
city
were
taken care of. From the lighting of the street lamps, to trying to stop the pollution of the Greenbrier River.
As
in
all
things
political,
this
article
is
rather
“long
winded”.
This
is
a
1964
published
account
of
the
history
of
Alderson,
and
certain
things
have
probably
have
changed
in
the
way
the
city
does
things.
It
was
a
different Alderson in the early 1900s. I’m positive no one lights the street lamps any more._Barry Worrell
The First Incorporation
In
1881
the
town
was
large
enough
to
assume
corporate
status,
and
on
October
4,
1881,
the
Town
of
Alderson
was
incorporated
by
Monroe
County
Court.
(Common
Order
Book
4,
Page
69,
Certificate
of
Incorporation
of
Town
of
Alderson.)
The
Certificate
reads:
"A
certificate
under
oath
of
William
Kunkle(?)
,
W.
Y.
Irons
and
Charles
Tincher,
that
a
majority
of
the
voters
residing
in
the
following
boundary,
to
wit":
(There
follow
the
metes
and
bounds
of
the
town
all
south
of
the
river)
"
have
been
given
in
due
form
of
law
in
favor
of
the
incorporation
of
the
Town
of
Alderson,
in
the
County
of
Monroe
bounded
as
herein
set
forth.
And
it
appearing
to
the
satisfaction
of
the
Court
that
all
of
the
provisions
of
Chapter
47
of
the
Code
of
West
Virginia
have
been
complied
with,
the
applicants
of
said
incorporation,
the
said
Town
of
Alderson
is
duly
authorized
within
the
corporate
limits
aforesaid
to
exercise
all
of
the
corporate
powers
conferred
by
said
Chapter 47 of the Code of West Virginia from and after date of this certificate."
The
first
mayor
was
Abraham
E.
T.
Scruggs,
and
the
first
Recorder
was
George
Alderson.
Councilmen
were
William
Boa,
W.
L.
Barksdale,
J.
L.
Fainer,
J.
G.
Lobban,
and
C.
W.
Vandergriff.
In
1883,
Mayor
S.
R.
Hill
was
elected
and
the
Recorder
was
A.
J.
Jones.
(The
first
minute
book
of
the
Town
Council
has
been
lost.)
Politics Begins
Alderson
began
with
the
Mayor-Council
form
of
Municipal
government
and
it
has
not
changed
to
the
present.
The
first
politician
of
importance
elected
from
Alderson’s
Ferry
was
Joseph
Alderson,
son
of
Elder
John,
and
a
man
of
varied
abilities,
who
served
in
the
General
Assembly
of
Virginia
from
November
29,
1184,
to
February
23,
1830,
except
for
one
year.
He
was
one
of
two
Greenbrier
delegates.
In
1832,
Greenbrier
representation
was
reduced
to
one,
and
Joseph
Alderson
served
from
December
2,
1832,
to
March
9,
1833.
John
G.
Lobban
of
Alderson
represented
the
District
in
the
sixteenth
and
seventeenth
legislatures
of
West
Virginia
in
Wheeling,
as
State
Senator,
in
1883
and
1885.
Alex
McVeigh
Miller
of
Alderson
was
a
state
senator
of
the
twenty-fifth,
twenty-sixth,
twenty-seventh,
twenty-eighth,
and
twenty-ninth
legislatures,
1901-
1909.
George
Alderson
of
Alderson
was
a
delegate
to
the
twenty-sixth
and
twenty-seventh
legislatures
in
1903
and
1905.
During
the
thirty-
first
session
C.
P.
Nash
was
a
member
of
the
Legislature
representing
Monroe
in
1913.
J.
S.
Thurmond
was
a
member
of
the
House
of
Delegates,
1915-1919,
attending
the
thirty-second,
thirty-third,
and
thirty-fourth
legislatures.
Will
W.
Stevens
represented
Greenbrier
in
the
House
of
Delegates
from
1923-1927.
Rodgers
McVey
represented
Greenbrier
in
the
West
Virginia
House
of
Delegates,
1945-
1948.
Joseph
Newman
Alderson
served
as
Administrator
of
the
Works
Progress
Administration
for
West
Virginia,
an
appointive
position,
from
1937
to
1941.
He
had
been
District
Director
from
1935
until
1937.
Two
women
from
Alderson
have
served
as
Wardens
of
the
West
Virginia
State
Prison
for
Women
at
Pence
Springs.
They
are
Mabel
T.
Simms,
and
Evelyn
Smithson.
Mrs.
Simms
was
Warden
from
1949-
1957,
and
Mrs.
Smithson from 1957-1961.
No
person
from
Alderson
presently
occupies
an
elective
political
office.
The
only
person
from
Alderson
holding an appointive office is Greenbrier County Deputy Sheriff Curtis Shawver.
Over the past century Alderson has, with few deviations, followed the politics of the Democratic party.
The
Town
government
is
not
elected
along
Democratic
or
Republican
party
lines
but
offers
a
slate
of
candidates
under
the
names
of
the
Citizens’
or
People’s
ticket,
or
some
other
name,
representing
factions
more than party.
Frequently,
over
the
eighty-three
year
history,
the
Town
Council
has
acted
in
a
most
progressive
manner
and
recognized
the
civic
need
for
street,
police,
water,
sewerage,
parking,
sanitation,
health,
social
and
economic
improvements.
Over
the
years,
it
seems
the
cost
of
town
government
has
not
increased
in
proportion
to
other
costs.
For
ex-ample
the
estimate
of
town
expenses
in
1911
was
$6,347.00.
The
estimate
for
the
1964-65
fiscal
year
is
$34,200.00.
Considering
the
increase
in
size
of
the
town,
additional
expenses
never
dreamed
of
in
1911,
and
the
tremendous
increase
in
cost
of
everything,
the
Town’s
expenses are conservative. At present, the Town has no bonded indebtedness.
The Town’s Officers (as of 1964)
The
present
Town
officers
are:
Tracy
Leach,
Mayor,
H.
Rodgers
McVey,
Recorder,
and
G.
R.
Altare,
K.
F.
Ballard,
N.
O.
Burdette,
F.
L.
Dameron,
and
C.
M.
Lobban,
Councilmen.
Richard
Ford
is
Chief
of
the
Volunteer
Fire
Department
and
has
held
that
office
since
1935.
Richard
Weikel
became
Police
Chief
in
1963.
Early Rules & Regulations And Ordinances
During
the
early
days
of
the
Town
Council,
a
lot
of
consideration
was
given
to
protection
of
the
town's
morals
and
numerous
ordinances
were
enacted
against
sin.
The
Town
for
a
long
period
would
not
allow
a
pool room or bowling alley in town. Finally, in 1909 such a business opened.
The
Town
has
never
allowed
the
sale
of
liquor.
For
a
long
period,
the
Town
Council
had
a
feud
with
a
drug
store
which
persisted
in,
selling
liquor
by
prescription
in
accordance
with
State
law.
A
drug
store
manager
in
1906
was
arrested,
tried,
and
released
after
trial
in
Greenbrier
County
Court.
Finally,
the
Town
Council
was
compelled to grant an unrestricted drug store license.
In
March
1911,
the
Council
passed
an
ordinance
against
the
sale
of
cigarettes
or
cigarette
papers.
This
ordinance
was
repealed
by
Council
in
1914,
only
after
two
attorneys
consulted
by
Council
opined
that
Council
had
no
authority
to
enforce
such
an
ordinance.
Nevertheless,
the
W.C.T.U.
(Woman's
Christian
Temperance
Union)
and
Alderson
Baptist
Academy
bitterly
opposed
the
repeal
of
the
ordinance.
The
Academy had Attorney George Thompson defend the ordinance before Council.
The
Council
passed
a
curfew
ordinance
in
1909
forbidding
anyone
under
sixteen
years
of
age
to
be
on
the
streets after nine p.m.
In
1911
a
Blue
Law
ordinance
was
enacted
which
forbade
sale
of
anything
except
drugs
in
a
drug
store
on
Sunday.
Grocery
and
general
merchandise
stores
were
to
close
all
day
Sunday.
Butcher
shops
could
be
open
for
one
hour
on
Sunday
morning.
Barber
shops
were
to
close
all
day
Sunday
with
their
blinds
left
up.
Ice
could
be
sold
from
four
a.m.
to
ten
a.m.
Sunday.
Restaurants
and
hotels
could
stay
open
all
day
Sunday,
and
could
sell
tobacco
and
cigars,
no
cigarettes
or
cigarette
papers.
There
were
other
ordinances
against
loitering,
loafing
on
the
streets,
vagrancy,
boisterous
behavior,
and
so
on.
In
all,
these
ordinances
reflect the concern the Town held for a highly moral community.
Council
Minutes
show
that
Council
concerned
itself
with
many
topics.
An
ordinance
in
1910
specified
in
detail
how
a
privy
was
to
be
constructed.
Time
after
time,
Council
objected
to
the
pollution
of
Greenbrier
River
by
the
tanneries
at
Marlinton
and
Durbin.
Once
in
1906
a
committee
from
Alderson,
Hinton,
Ronceverte,
and
Lewisburg
went
to
Marlinton
by
train
to
investigate
the
matter
with
the
intention
of
complaining to the Governor. It was many years before this pollution was abated.
Once,
Council
gave
a
very
prominent
citizen
one
day
to
close
down
an
odoriferous
slaughterhouse
which
he
and
a
partner
operated
in
a
colored
neighborhood.
Over
a
period
of
years
barbed
wire
fencing
in
town
was
dangerous,
and
Council
repeatedly
forbade
its
use.
Stepping
stones
at
street
crossings
and
construction
of
board
sidewalks
occupied
the
time
of
many
a
Council
meeting,
and
cost
the
town
substantial sums of money. In 1906 Council set forth for the first time specifications for concrete sidewalks.
For
years
the
Council
tried
to
keep
out
of
the
hitching
lot
business.
It
tried
to
make
the
town
merchants
provide
hitching
lots,
for
the
horses,
wagons,
and
buggies
had
to
be
parked
some
place.
Finally,
the
town
rented one lot.
In
1899
the
Town
employed
James
Ripley
as
lamplighter
for
$7.00
per
month.
Another
time,
a
guard
was
employed
for
$1.50
per
day
to
enforce
a
quarantine
of
a
house
in
which
family
members
evidently
had
smallpox.
Automobiles
brought
municipal
problems.
In
May,
1911,
Council
passed
a
speed
ordinance.
No
horse
could
be
ridden
faster
than
a
trot.
Automobiles
and
motorcycles
could
be
operated
no
faster
than
15
miles
per
hour.
In
1913,
automobiles
were
forbidden
to
travel
faster
than
10
miles
per
hour.
It
cannot
be
stated
positively
who
owned
the
first
horseless
carriage
in
town
but
Otis
Carter
probably
did.
Dr.
Walter
Beard,
one of the town’s most beloved characters, also had a very early automobile.
In
November
1913,
the
first
garage
came
to
town.
W.
L.
McCoy
was
granted
permission
to
erect
a
garage
in
North
Alderson
to
be
known
as
Alderson
Car
Company.
In
1914,
Council
granted
license
to
rent
automobiles
for
hire
at
the
livery
stable
license
fee
of
$10.00
per
year,
and
W.
L.
McCoy
got
a
taxi
license
for $10.00. With the advent of automobiles, the unpaved streets had to be improved, also.
Ref:
Papers
of
Joseph
Newman
Alderson
Public
Records
of
Greenbrier
and
Monroe
County
Courts
West
Virginia
Blue
Books Alderson Town Council Minutes
Greenbrier, Monroe, and Summers County Law Suit
The
entire
land
area
of
the
Alderson
community
on
both
sides
of
the
river
was
at
one
time
involved
in
a
bitter
law
suit
between
Summers
County
against
Monroe
and
Greenbrier
Counties.
The
controversy
started
in
1894
when
John
E.
Harvey,
Summers
County
Surveyor,
was
directed
by
the
Summers
County
Court
to
run
the
exact
line
established
by
the
Act
of
the
Legislature
in
1871
between
Summers
and
Greenbrier
Counties.
He
found
that
all
of
Alderson
and
considerably
more
territory
were
in
Summers
County,
with
about
1700
population.
Summers
County
took
legal
steps
to
have
the
area
annexed
to
Summers.
A
great
and
bitter
dispute
began,
and
as
Alderson
was
the
object,
the
furor
in
Alderson
was
intense.
On
February
20,
1894,
James
H.
Miller,
Summers
County
Prosecuting
Attorney,
instituted
proceedings
in
the
Circuit
Courts
of
Greenbrier
and
Monroe
Counties.
Circuit
Judge
A.
N.
Campbell
declined
to
hear
the
case
and
Judge
A.
F.
Guthrie
was
secured.
The
trial
was
in
Lewisburg
and
the
decision
was
in
favor
of
Greenbrier
and
Monroe.
The
decision
was
appealed
to
the
West
Virginia
Supreme
Court
of
Appeals
which
threw
out
the
case.
A.
B.
Fleming,
an
ex-Governor
of
the
State,
was
agreed
upon
to
act
as
umpire.
He
could
not
serve,
so
George
E.
Price,
an
excellent
Charleston
attorney,
served.
In
April
1897,
the
trial
was
held
in
Alderson.
The
town
was
full
of
the
Commissioners
of
three
counties,
at
least
six
lawyers
representing
the
counties,
and
numerous
witnesses
for
each
side.
The
hearing
took
several
days.
Umpire
Price
decided
for
Greenbrier
County
against
Summers,
and
Greenbrier
kept
Alderson.
The
Monroe
issue
was
abandoned
by
Summers and the decision ended it, as no appeal was taken.
Ref: History of Summers County, W. VA. Judge James H. Miller, 1908, pp. 66-70