(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)
Alderson West Virginia - A History
© Property of Min7th Productions 2012
The Bridges Of Alderson
No
history
of
Alderson
would
be
complete
without
a
history
of
the
bridge.
Since
Mr.
Swope
obviously
crossed
it
many
times
in
his
fact
gathering
trips
from
one
side
of
town
to
the
other,
it’s
surprising
he
didn’t
include
it
in
his
history.
Taking
Mr.
Swope’s
suggestion
to
add
my
own
chronicle
to
his,
I
include it here, with the help of others, mainly Margaret Hambrick, who wrote most of the piece.
Main Index
The contents contained on this page is copyrighted and the sole property of Min7th Productions.
The History of Alderson, West Virginia
From Multiple Sources and Photos - Compiled and Edited by Barry Worrell
Prior
to
the
construction
of
the
first
metal
bridge
over
the
Greenbrier,
crossing
the
river
was
accomplished
at
Alderson's
Ferry,
about
100
yards
upstream
from
the
current
bridge.
Elder
John
Alderson
established
the
Ferry
in
1789
by
legislative
grant.
This
Ferry
was
recognized
as
the
official
crossing
and
no
bridge
was
required
when
Indian
Draft
Turnpike
was
incorporated
to
connect
to
the
Red
Sulphur
and
Blue
Sulphur
Turnpike
in
1838.
There
were
few
roads
early
on
and
they
connected
to
Lewisburg
and
to
the
north.
South
of
Alderson
there
were
no
roads
other
than
those
crossing
at
the
Ferry.
(Click on photo for larger view)
The
old
iron
bridge
was
used
by
the
contractors
as
a
platform
to
pour
the
arches
of
the
new
bridge
and
to
facilitate
the
movement
of
pedestrians.
A
fund
of
96.05
was
raised
among
the
businessmen
to
build
the
footbridge
seen
in
the
foreground.
Vehicular
traffic
used
the
old
ford
near
the
hotel.
Lucky
the
river
was
low
that
summer.
Following
Mr.
McEnteer’s
design,
the
stone
piers
of
the
old
iron
bridge
were
used
as
the
piers
of
the
concrete
bridge.
A
one
foot
thick
concrete
jacket
was
poured
around
the
existing
piers
to
strengthen
them
and
to
create
aesthetic
continuity
with
the
rest
of
the
bridge.
The
arches
and
roadway
were
made
of
concrete
forms
filled with dirt and gravel. (Click on photo for larger view)
When
completed
in
November
1914,
it
was
the
longest
earth-filled,
reinforced
concrete
arch
bridge
in
West
Virginia,
the
third
largest
concrete
arch
bridge
in
the
state,
and
the
pride
of
the
town.
Today,
it
is
the
only
concrete
arch
bridge remaining in West Virginia. (Click on photo for larger view)
When
the
bridge
was
replaced
in
1977
by
a
new
bridge
downstream,
which
carries
vehicular
traffic
and
spans
the
railroad
tracks
as
well
as
the
river,
the
old
concrete
bridge
was
scheduled
for
destruction.
Numerous
citizens
of
Alderson
met
many
times
with
the
officials
of
the
town
government
to
express
their
desire
to
keep
their
beloved
old
bridge. (Click on photo for larger view)
An
arrangement
was
made
with
the
West
Virginia
Division
of
Highways
and
the
Town
of
Alderson
took
ownership
of
the
bridge
as
a
service
to
the
town’s citizens to continue to provide a pedestrian link between the two sides of town.
Some
of
the
citizens
of
Alderson
who
were
instrumental
in
the
Town
of
Alderson
acquiring
the
bridge
from
the
West
Virginia
Division
of
Highways
formed
the
Alderson
Bridge
Trust
Fund
whose
purpose
is
to
aid
the
town
with
the
repair,
maintenance,
and
improvement
of
the
bridge.
At
the
request
of
the
first
chair
of
the
Alderson
Bridge
Trust
Fund,
the
bridge
was
designated
as
the
Alderson
Memorial
Bridge
in
1977.
The
bridge
and
the
Alderson
Bridge
Trust
Fund
have
been
honored
several
times,
most
notably
with
the
bridge’s
acceptance
for
placement
on
the
National
Register
of
Historic
Places.
When
the
Bridge
approached
its
89th
birthday,
due
to
its
age
and
exposure
to
weather
and
flooding,
it
was
in
dire
need
of
repair.
The
Town
of
Alderson
with
the
assistance
of
the
Alderson
Bridge
Trust
Fund,
Alderson
Main
Street,
and
any
other
help
that
could
be
recruited,
undertook
a
project
to
replace
the
parapet
walls,
which
were
greatly
deteriorated;
repair
and/or
replace
the
brackets
holding
the
sidewalks;
and
make
such
other
repairs
as
were
deemed
vital
to
the
bridge’s
continued
existence.
The
project
called
for
the
walls
to
be
replaced
with
walls
which
are
identical
in
appearance
but
with
added
support
to
tie
them
to
the
bridge
structure.
Likewise,
the
bracket
had
to
be
repaired
or
replaced
and
would
remain
the
same
in
appearance.
The
West
Virginia
Department
of
Culture
and
History
was
highly
supportive
of
this
project
to
restore
the
bridge
to
a
safe
state
and
its former elegant appearance. (Click on photo for larger view)
The
Alderson
Memorial
Bridge
is
the
very
heart
of
Alderson.
Even
the
official
seal
of
the
town
incorporates
a
picture
of
the
bridge.
It
is
the
place
where
young
and
old
alike
cross
the
river
to
the
Post
Office
or
convenience
store,
stroll
leisurely
hand
in
hand,
or
walk
for
exercise.
Kids
have
learned
to
fish
standing
at
the
bridge’s
parapet
walls.
Many
walk
on
the
bridge
just
to
admire
the
view
up
and
down
the
river.
(Click
on
photo
for
larger
view)
During
Alderson’s
Fourth
of
July
celebration,
the
Alderson
Memorial
Bridge
dons
American
flags
to
show
the
town’s
patriotism
and
the
grand
Fourth
of
July
parade
still
crosses
the
bridge.
During
Christmas,
special
brightly
colored
lights
make
an
arch
spanning
the
bridge
enticing
passers-by
to
brave the cold to take a walk under the lights. It is probably the most photographed object in Alderson and a true landmark.
Whatever
the
season,
the
bridge
plays
a
part
from
lazy
summer
afternoons
to
cold
Christmas
parades,
from
the
budding
of
the
trees
in
the
spring
to
the bright colors of the fall.
The
West
Virginia
Department
of
Transportation
was
also
supportive
with
funding
but
more
was
needed.
The
original
project
was
to
repair
spalled
areas
and
replace
a
twenty
foot
section
of
parapet
on
the
bridge.
During
the
bidding
phase
of
this
project
a
letter
was
received
from
WVDOH
recommending
complete
replacement
of
the
parapet
walls
and
sidewalks.
This
was
a
sound
recommendation
but
beyond
the
scope
and
budget
of
the limited bridge repair project envisioned in the Town’s original plan.
The
present
project
was
to
completely
remove
the
existing
parapet
walls
and
sidewalks
of
the
bridge
and
replace
them
with
new
reinforced
concrete
using
the
same
details
as
the
original
masonry.
An
important
additional
element
of
the
work
was
to
repair
or
replace
damaged
sidewalk
support
brackets
which
cantilever
from
the
arch
spandrels
walls.
Other
miscellaneous
work
such
as
grouting
certain
abutment
and
pier
areas,
lighting
removal and re-installation, and paving was needed also. The renovation was done during the year of 2005.(Click on photos for larger view)
Frank
Duff
McEnteer,
who
was
to
become
a
well-known
and
respected
engineer
in
West
Virginia
and
surrounding
areas,
was
president
of
the
Concrete
Steel
Bridge
Company
and
designed
the
Alderson
Bridge.
When
construction
of
the
concrete
bridge
began
on
June
21,
1914,
he
was
present to see that the job was started right.
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.
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
1881, as in that year an abutment was not satisfactory according to the court records.
(Click
on
photo
for
larger
view)
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,
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
of
from
$2,000.00
to
$3,000.00
to
be
held
May
26.
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. (The preceding “non-italicize” text section taken from the history of “Roads” on this site)
