The   Memorial   Bridge,   being   still   there,   has   been   one   of   the   most   photographed   structures   in Alderson,   and it’s   history   has   been   well   documented.   All   of   the   Iron   bridge   has   been   gone   for   over   a   century,   with   the exception of it’s piers. They were use to construct the new ones and are inside the piers you see today. With   very   few   photos   and   and   less   documentation,   the   Iron   Bridge   has   a   short,   but   interesting   story,   with different   issues   of   the   time.   Having   to   deal   with   both   Greenbrier   and   Monroe   Counties   certainly   didn’t guarantee that it would come off smoothly, and it didn’t. From   the   time   Alderson   was   but   a   wilderness   the   Greenbrier   was   forded   above   and   below   the   present bridge.   In   1789   by   legislative   grant   from   the   Virginia   assembly   to   Elder   John   Alderson   a   ferry   across   the river   was   established.   This   ferry   was   just   below   the   present   location   of   the   railroad   station.   (Different histories disagree on exact location of Alderson’s Ferry.) On old maps the place is named Alderson's Ferry. Greenbrier   County   Court   records   show   that   the   County   Court   considered   building   a   bridge   across   the   river in   the   July   term   1878.   It   approached   the   Monroe   County   Court   to   bear   one-half   of   the   expense   estimated   at $14,000.   The   two   county   courts   seemingly   did   not   get   along*   very   well,   and   it   was   not   until   the   July   term 1881   that   agreement   was   reached .   * (In   the   1790s   a   political   feud   developed   between   John   Stuart,   "the father   of   Greenbrier   County",   his   political   associates   in   the   Lewisburg   section,   and John   Hutchinson   of   what   is   now   Monroe.   Hutchison   was   a   shrewd   politician,   a member   of   the   Virginia   Assembly   until   Stuart's   cohorts   defeated   him,   but   John Hutchison   lobbied   through   the   legislature   an Act   creating   Monroe   County   as   May   1, 1799.   Thus   the   future   town   of   Alderson   was   split   in   twain.   North   of   the   river   was Greenbrier   and   south   was   Monroe.   This   could   have   been   one   of   the   reason   why the two counties didn’t get along) Two   sub-commissioners   of   the   Courts   were   appointed,   Samuel   Price   and   James   Withrow,   who   agreed   on specifications,   engineering   and   letting   of   the   contract.   The   Pittsburgh   Bridge   Company,   Pittsburgh,   Pa.,   got the   contract   to   build   the   bridge   for   $11,900.00.   They   must   have   quickly   built   the   bridge   by   1882,   as   in   that year an abutment was not satisfactory according to the court records. (Click photos to enlarge) The   iron   bridge   was   frequently   in   disrepair.   The   minutes   of   the   Town   Council   show   the   Council   was   often fussing    at    the    two    County    Courts    to    do    something    about    it.    On   August    8,    1913,    31    years    after    it’s construction,   the   Council   authorized   consultation   with   the   County   Courts   about   constructing   a   new   bridge   of concrete.   In   February   1914,   the   Greenbrier   County   Court   ordered   the   Town   of   Alderson   to   repair   the   old iron   bridge.   Town   Council   was   indignant   and   flatly   refused   saying   the   town   had   not   built   the   old   bridge,   had no   authority   to   repair   the   bridge,   that   townspeople   had   paid   taxes   to   help   build   all   other   county   bridges,   and finally the river was not the property of the town, but was State property. In April   1914,   the   County   Courts   of   Greenbrier   and   Monroe   agreed   to   build   a   new   bridge   without   sidewalks.   On   May   5,   1914,   Mayor   McNeer   issued   a   proclamation   for   a   bond   issue   election   to   be   held   May   26,   for   the sum   of   $2,000.00   to   $3,000.00,      The   vote   was   191   for,   2   against,   for   one   sidewalk,   and   186   for,   2,   against, for   two   sidewalks.   The   Concrete   Steel   Bridge   Co.,   Clarksburg,   W.   Va.,   had   a   contract   to   build   the   bridge   for $20,600.00.   On   October   30,   1914,   a   contract   was   made   with   the   company   to   build   the   two   sidewalks   for $2900.00. So, the roadway belonged to the State and the sidewalks belonged to the town.

In   this   photo,   we   see   workman   gather   at   the   steam-powered   concrete   mixer during   the   construction   of   the   Alderson   bridge   in   1914.   The   Iron   bridge   is   still in   place   and   being   used   as   a   platform   to   run   buggies   of   concrete   to   pour   new bridge abutments, piers, and arches. ( Click photos to enlarge)