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The first newspaper in Alderson was The Alderson
Enterprise in 1878. John M. Ferguson was editor. It is not known
how long this paper was published.
In 1883
The Alderson Statesman was started. It was owned by Rufus D.
Alderson. The last issue was in May, 1886.
About 1894 The Alderson Man appeared. It
was a Populist newspaper and strongly supported that political party whose
aim was to champion rights of the people against the great business
monopolies and combines of the time. Its editors were Houston Warren
and Hubert Houston. After the Populist party lost, and probably due
to the Panic of 1896, this paper folded.
J. Alfred Taylor acquired The Alderson Man and
changed the name to
The Alderson
Advertiser. Taylor took a partner, Alonzo C. Nelson, an
expert printer, in 1909. In 1911, A Selders bought the paper and
published it until 1913. Then George Werkheiser bought the paper.
Werkheiser was a Pennsylvania Dutchman and an intelligent man who printed
a good paper. Although George Werkheiser was not a prohibitionist he
called his paper a Prohibition paper. He was a Democrat, but in
order to get county advertising, and as the law required public
advertising in papers of opposing political faith, he could no call his
paper a Democratic paper. There was already a Democratic paper in
Monroe County. He was certainly not a Republican. That left
the Prohibition party. Werkheiser published his paper until 1928
when he sold to Malcolm Johnston of Union, editor of The Monroe
Watchman.
Alderson had no paper until march 9, 1951 when The
Alderson Times appeared. Charles J. Eib was the publisher, John
R. Kenney was editor, and
Agnes Cooke, news
editor. It was a republican paper. there were several editors
in rapid succession. Eib sold to Don Hubbard Montgomery, who got
some used printing equipment and published until about 1956. He sold
to the White Sulphur Sentinel. Samuel D. Mason became the
editor. The Alderson Times published its last issue Thursday,
December 8, 1960. Mrs. Agnes Cooke was news editor, or associate
editor, during the nine years and nine months the paper was published,
with eight editors and five publishers. She wrote a clever farewell
obituary for the little paper.
All the five papers were weeklies and some were of
good quality. Between the time the Advertiser and the
Times started Alderson had no paper for thirteen years. It has
had no paper for nearly four years.
Next:
Business
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 |
