A Former Publication Of Alderson High School “Alderson’s Longest Running News Media”

Putting Some Pieces Together Barry Worrell - September 2, 2020

Picture   3   shows   a   complete   view   of   the   five   buildings   that   started   from   the   corner   of   Railroad   Ave.   and South Monroe St. (note the white numbering) Building 1 is the Bank Building. Building 2 is the building in Picture No.1. (more on that below) Building   3   is   not   known(yet)   what   was   there.   (There   is   the   possibility   it   was   Mr.   Pizzanite’s   shoe   repair, because   it   use   to   be   in   that   vicinity,   and   knowing   his   building   was   about   to   be   torn   down,   he   was   giving the   chance   to   have   the   building   as   long   as   he   removed   it.   It   has   been   reported   he   had   it   moved   to   the east side of So. Monroe St. just left of where Carl Copeland’s Chevy garage sat.) Building   4.   It’s   no   known(yet)   what   it   was. A   logical   reason   was,   it   was   torn   down,   along   with   the   removal of Building 3 to make way for the City Hall building. Building   5   is   the   Grange   Building.   This   was   where   J.   M   Alderson   had   his   original   store .   When   it   burned down,   he   build   the   stone   building   across   the   street,   where   it   stands   today.   (You   may   also   take   note   that Ayers’   Restaurant   building   was   on   the   lot   where   Aldersons’   Store   is   today.   Sara   Alderson   confirmed;   “ My great-grandfather   had   the   Ayers   Restaurant   building   moved   from   the   site   where   Alderson's   Store   is   now, to the site of where the Grange Building had been...in order to build the "new" building”.) Back   to   Picture   1 :   John   McCurdy   remembers   when   there   was   some   newspaper   machinery*   in   the sidewalk   level   of   that   building,   and   also   the   upstairs   porch   over   the   sidewalk.   Mrs.   Keeney,   who   had   two pretty   daughters,   Betty   and   Elizabeth,   ran   a   dress   shop   in   the   bottom   and   lived   on   th   2nd   floor   about 1946-48.   It   was   also   the   site   of   Check   Feamster’s   pool   room. The   store   is   Reynolds   Co's   Dept.   Store   with Trvoe Kittenger on porch. *(The   newspaper   machinery   most   likely   belong   to   the   “Alderson   Man”,   a   town   newspaper   which   appeared around   1894.   It   was   bought   and   sold   many   times   over   the   years   and   ceased   around   1936.   Several   years later,    in    1951,    the   Alderson    Times    started.    The   Alderson    Times    published    its    last    issue    Thursday, December 8, 1960._Editor) I   personally   remember   the   building   in   Picture1.   I   remember   being   in   the   newspaper   section   (left   side, street   level)   when   it   was   the   Alderson   Times.   I   also   remember   being   in   the   pool   hall   (right   side,   street level).   There   use   to      be   a   very   large   painting   of   an   outdoor   scene   hanging   over   the   bar. As   I   recall   it   was done by Minor Bare, a house painter and friend of my father, Gene Worrell. In   conclusion,   I   wish   I   could   go   back   in   time   and   spend   time   going   in   all   the   stores   in Alderson,   and   talking with the proprietors. But only if I had a good camera.      

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I’ve   spent   a   lot   of   time   studying   photos   of   old   Alderson,   and   sometimes   it   becomes   aware   of   where   some buildings   actually   were.   Case   in   point,   Picture   1.   Often   described   as   the   first   automobile   in Alderson.   But   it’s the   building   it’s   sitting   in   front   of,   that’s   more   interesting.   I’ve   often   seen   it   stated   that   it’s   the   old   Hotel Alderson   that   was   where   the   Post   Office   is   now.   However,   the   building   use   to   be   sitting   behind   the   old   Bank Building. (Picture 2). That’s why I joined the two photos together to simulate the corner the way it was then. (click photo to enlarge)

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