(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)
Alderson West Virginia - A History
Milling
For
more
than
sixty
years
the
Greenbrier
Milling
Company
has
been
in
existence.
This
mill
started
in
the
1890’s.
On
October
7,
1901
the
Town
Council minutes show the Greenbrier Milling Company made application to build a three story flour mill measuring 65 feet by 45 feet.
In
the
account
of
the
electric
power
development
in
Alderson
is
detailed
how
the
Greenbrier
Milling
Company
produced
the
first
electricity
in
Alderson.
For
years,
the
mill
operated
the
water
pump
that
furnished
the
town’s
water.
The
Johnson
family
operated
the
mill
for
more
than
a
generation.
This
was
a
steam-powered
mill
and
was
the
largest
grain
mill
which
ever
operated
in
the
Alderson
community.
The
mill
is
presently
a
feed
and
fertilizer
store.
Grain,
sawmills
and
woolen
mills
have
been
important
in
the
early
development
of
American
communities
and
Alderson
is
no
exception.
Herman
Boye’s
Map
of
Virginia,
1828,
shows
four
mills
on
Muddy
Creek.
The
first
mill
on
Muddy
Creek
was
operated
by
a
member
of
the
Alderson
family.
There
was
a
grain
mill
at
Palestine
in
1856
as
shown
in
an
old
road
survey
report.
The
same
survey
mentions
William
Woolwine’s
sawmill
on
Griffith's
Creek.
An
old
newspaper
mentions
the
big
fire
which
destroyed
Mohler’s
Sawmill
in
lower
Alderson
in
1881,
evidently
near
the
present
Quillen
Mill.
A.
J.
Jones
built
two
mills
on
Muddy
Creek.
The
first
was
about
a
fourth
mile
below
the
present
mill.
The
present
mill,
located
next
to
the
Palestine
bridge,
was
built
in
1912.
This
was
a
roller
mill
and
had
three
floors
of
machinery
powered
by
a
water
turbine
with
water
from
a
dam
on
the
creek
above
the
mill
from
which
a
race
carried
water
to
the
turbine.
This
mill
was
made
of
2"
X
6"
solid
chestnut
timbers.
The
mill
went
out
of
business
about 20 or 25 years ago but still stands.
The Bright mill was a steam powered grain mill on the river a short distance above the bridge. The details of this mill are not available.
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
Main Index
The
Greenbrier
Milling
company
plant
is
shown
here
about
1903.
Incorporated
by
George
Gwinn,
J.
W.
Johnson,
E.
Chase
Bare,
and
Dr.
W.
C.
Beard
in
1901,
the
mill
supplied
electric
power
to
the
town
for
many
years
and
produced
"C&O"
and
"Greenbrier"
brand
flour.
The
town
was
proud
of
the
fact
that
a
car
load
of
Greenbrier
flour
went
to
France
to
feed
the
troops
in
World
War
1.
Photo by J. W. McClung. (Click on photos for larger views)
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
