(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)
Alderson West Virginia - A History
Annexation of North Alderson
As
recorded
elsewhere,
the
C
&
O
began
serving
Alderson
in
1873,
and
the
population
rapidly
began
to
increase.
In
1880
the
population
was
478
according
to
the
U.
S.
Census.
The
first
bridge
spanned
the
river
in
1881
and
the
little
town
was
ready
to
assume
civic
responsibility.
It
became
an
incorporated
town
in
1881.
The
corporation
of
Alderson
was
on
the
south
side
of
the
river
only
as
most
of
the
north
side
was
farming
land
belonging
to members of the Alderson family.
It
was
twenty-three
years
later
before
North
Alderson
proposed
a
municipal
marriage
with
the
corporation.
On
December
29,
1904,
a
committee
from
the
north
side
met
with
Council
to
discuss
the
annexation.
The
matter
was
debated
and
no
action
taken.
Four
days
later,
on
January
2,
1905,
a
petition
to
the
Town
Council
signed
by
J.
M.
Alderson,
G.
K.
Gwinn,
William
H.
Hamlett,
G.
E.
Bare
and
M.
Levy
was
presented
to
Town
Council
asking that north Alderson be annexed to the town. An Election was held January 27, 1905 on the question The results were:
South Alderson: For incorporation - 50; Against - 20.
North Alderson: For incorporation - 55; Against - 35.
On
March
23,
1905,
the
vote
was
canvassed
by
the
Town
Council
and
North
Alderson
was
officially
married
to
South
Alderson,
subject
to
approval
of
the Circuit Court of Monroe County - which was granted later.
The
last
time
the
Town
of
Alderson
attempted
to
add
to
the
corporation's
area
was
in
an
election
held
June
3,
1941.
There
were
nearly
1000
registered
voters
in
the
town
in
1940;
356
in
South
Alderson
and
618
in
North
Alderson
and
but
289
of
them
voted
in
the
election
to
take
into
the
corporation the area bounded by Chase Street on the East, Route 54 South and East, and Hemlock Street on the north.
The
voters
inside
the
corporation
voted
to
take
in
the
section,
240
for
annexation,
49
opposed.
Evidently
the
voters
residing
outside
the
corporation
in the area to be annexed did not like the idea. They voted 30 to 10 against it. The election lost.
North
Alderson
was
brought
into
the
corporate
limits
of
the
town,
about
the
time
this
photo
was
taken
looking
northwest
from
Reservoir
Hill.
Visible
towards
the
center
of
the
picture
are
the
Old
Greenbrier
Baptist
Church,
the
Alderson
Academy,
and
the
Public
School
building
(with
small
belfry).
Several
folks
are
out
practicing
on
the
baseball
diamond
in
the
right
foreground
and
just
about
everyone
has
a
cornfield
in
his
back
yard
Photo
by
J.
W.
McClung. (Click on photo for larger view)
This
1917
photo
shows
a
grown-up
town,
North
and
South
of
the
river.
Prominent
on
the
south
side
are
the
passenger
and
freight
stations,
the
Alderson
House
Hotel,
and
the
main
business
district.
The
old
livery
stable
in
the
lower
left
has
already
become
the
Alderson
Garage,
and
according
to
the
poster,
the
circus
is
due
soon.
North
of
the
"new
bridge"
the
Alderson
National
Bank
and
the
new
brick
Public
School
building
dominates.
It
must
have
been
Sunday
when
Mr.
McClung
took
this
photo
as
no
pedestrian
or
vehicular
traffic
is
seen
except
at
the
depot.
(Click on photo for larger view)
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
Main Index
The History of Alderson, West Virginia
From The Journal Of The Greenbrier Historical Society On Alderson, West Virginia
Written by Kenneth D. Swope - Compiled and Transcribed by Barry Worrell
