(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)
Alderson West Virginia - A History
Churches - Page Six - Other Churches
Main Index
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
For
about
fifteen
or
twenty
years
there
was
an
Episcopal
Church
in
Alderson.
It
was
located
on
Church
Street
in
South
Alderson,
but
never
had
a
large
membership.
Probably
twenty
people
was
the
maximum
membership.
One
of
the
members
was
Mrs.
Agnes
Cooke
who,
with
her
family,
attended
there.
The
church
was
discontinued
about
1911.
George
W.
Easter
was
possibly
the
first
Rector.
Others
were
a
Mr.
Ferber
and
a
Mr.
Merriman who held services during Sunday afternoons and came in from Union. Mrs. Sam Pollock was the organist.
In
Palestine
is
located
Bethel
Chapel
of
Christian
Nation
Holiness
Church.
This
church
was
established
more
than
forty
years
ago.
The
original
setting of this small white church was a quiet sylvan place of beauty. An automobile junk yard has nearly engulfed the chapel.
There
is
no
recorded
history
of
this
church
available,
but
Mrs.
Virgie
Feamster,
one
of
its
first
members,
furnished
information.
The
church
was
founded by the Reverend John Harris of Hinton. It had as its first members about ten people in the Palestine community.
The
present
pastor
is
the
Reverend
Kinder
of
Hinton,
who
preaches
on
Sunday
afternoons.
About
four
or
five
families
compose
the
present
membership of about ten.
The
Shiloh
Baptist
Church,
the
oldest
colored
church
in
Alder-
son,
was
organized
in
1880
with
sixteen
charter
members.
The
records
of
this
church
have been lost or misplaced, and this history is from the best information available.
The
first
minister
was
Charles
Williams
of
Staunton,
Virginia.
Members
of
the
Board
of
Deacons
were
Peter
Moton,
Rube
Hill,
Henry
Brown,
Jim
Hargrove
and
Marshall
Trice.
It
is
reputed
that
a
member,
probably
Peter
Moton,
purchased
the
lot
on
Hill
Street
for
$7.00
and
gave
it
to
the
church.
Some
of
the
other
ministers
in
memory
of
living
members
were
the
Reverend
C.
N.
Harris,
about
1917;
the
Reverend
Matthew
Fairfax
who
was
minister
from
about
1920·26;
the
Reverend
C.
J.
Jennings
and
the
Reverend
,.......
Smith.
The
Reverend
J.
J.
Winston
became
pastor
in
1962.
Present membership is 49.
Another colored church, Harris Methodist Church, went out of existence about 1955. Its last pastor was a Reverend Allen.
The
Great
Emmanuel
Holiness
Church
was
founded
about
1959
in
South
Alderson.
Its
founder
and
present
pastor
is
Sister
Alfreda
Goforth
of
Beckley. This church has a small enthusiastic membership.
The
Church
of
God
has
an
active
church
on
the
Greenbrier
side
of
the
river
in
the
West
end
of
town.
This
church
was
established
about
1949.
Two
ministers
of
the
Church
of
God
conducted
a
revival
meeting
in
Alderson
and
then
organized
the
church.
They
were
Harry
Garrison,
who
became
the
first pastor, and Leonard Atkinson, a blind minister from Oak Hill.
In
1953
the
church
building
was
erected
during
the
pastorate
of
L.
B.
Goodall,
now
of
Caldwell.
The
Reverend
Parker
Masters
of
White
Sulphur
Springs became pastor April 21, 1963.
Present membership is about thirty. The Sunday School is increasing in size.
The History of Alderson, West Virginia
From The Journal Of The Greenbrier Historical Society On Alderson, West Virginia
Written by Kenneth D. Swope - Compiled and Transcribed by Barry Worrell
