On September 20, 2014 we will celebrate the 100th birthday of our beloved "old bridge."  My father referred to it as the "new bridge" as, I am sure,  many of your parents did.  I have been working on the interior of the depot for several weeks rearranging exhibits, looking for new exhibits and the sort.  There were some documents tucked away in a cabinet that was not very visitor friendly.  They were not displayed in a convenient place where  visitors could get a close look.  We began to rearrange them and have made little progress because I spend so much time reading each of the them in great detail.  There is some great "stuff" in the collection.  We have advertising materials from the late 19th century and early 20th century.  We have calendars from 1900 - 1920.  In addition we have some school papers and booklets (thanks in large part to the contribution of Sarah Lobban).  In these documents we have Alderson Junior College Academy Bulletin, Alderson Baptist Academy, a yearbook from 1924 of the Alderson Baptist Academy.  Yesterday, thanks to our very good friend, Rachael Feamster Goodall, we received a gift of a vintage Chessie calendar from 1943.  

Nothing that I can think of illustrates our history in Alderson better than the documents referenced above.  These documents present a very personal view of our history.  They actually relate the feelings and daily activities of citizens and students alike.  When I read these documents my attention is directed to my own daily experiences growing up in Alderson.  Also, thanks To Rachael she has loaned several documents of receipts, personal tax ledger for residents of the county in 1845, and other interesting evidence of life in and around Blakers Mill.  The Feamster family lived close to the mill and store; therefore many of the documents have a relevant place in the mill history.  Hopefully, working with the Greenbrier Historic Society staff, we will uncover some stories concerning that area.  

When I sat down at the computer I was only going to report on a "fact" that I was completely unaware of, and that is the following: We have a copy of the Aldersonian dated February 15, 1930.  When I began to read the paper I discovered that "The Aldersonian" was the news paper of the "Alderson Junior College."  I never knew that the Junior College was the first to publish "The Aldersonian."   It would be great to hear from you via this "site" about what you might know about the history of this paper. 

Now I am going to make a pitch to each of you.   We are looking for documents of any kind, small physical items (we don't have much space) that relate to the history of our town.  The depot is now very secure, well maintained (the exterior renovation will begin soon thanks to a grant) and is a great place to house historic items from Alderson.  We have unearthed a lot of history from the early 1900's but I am sure in some attics or closets there is material just sitting there without a proper home.  Please consider the depot as a repository for your items (especially C &O Railroad items).  We are not limited to RR items.  We try to show the relative nature of the RR to the town, but most importantly life in Alderson and the RR were inseparable.  If you ould like more information please contact me at andy6424@aol.com or phone me at 304 839-7178.  

O by the way the motto on the paper was "Alderson for All-All for Alderson"