(Photo by Calvin Shepherd - Use By Permission)
Alderson West Virginia - A History
Utilities - Page One
What
company
had
or
did
not
have
a
franchise
to
furnish
telephone
service
in
Alderson
in
the
early
days
is
a
puzzle.
Town
Council
granted
so
many
franchises that once it did not know which companies were running the telephone lines.
According
to
available
Town
Council
minutes,
the
first
franchise
was
granted
to
Greenbrier
Telephone
Company,
Lewisburg,
March
3,
1899.
American
Telephone
and
Telegraph
Company
was
granted
a
non-exclusive
franchise
on
April
3,
1901.
On
May
2,
1904,
Southern
Bell
Telephone
and
Telegraph
Company
was
granted
a
50
year
franchise.
Both
American
and
Southern
Bell
were
the
lines
on
the
railroad
and
offered
no
local
service
except
telegraph or long distance. There must have been other such companies franchised before 1901 but the first minute book of Town Council is lost.
T.
A.
McNeer,
president
of
Greenville
Telephone
Company,
Inc.
applied
for
a
franchise
September
11,
1903.
The
company
was
"doing
a
general
telephone business in Monroe and Summers County." No action was taken on a franchise.
The
Town
Council
granted
Greenbrier
Mutual
Telephone
Company
permission
to
enter
town
on
August
7,
1908,
Green
Sulphur
Mutual
Telephone
Company, on November 5, 1909 and Meadow Bluff Mutual Company on January 7, 1910. By then Town Council was confused.
Mrs.
Merritt
Lowry
(Nell
Kittinger)
was
the
first
telephone
operator
in
Alderson
and
started
working
in
1899
or
1900.
She
distinctly
remembers
the
first
office
in
the
First
National
Bank
Building.
The
hours
were
7
a.m.
to
6
p.m.
and
there
was
no
night
service.
Long
cords
were
attached
to
the
plugs.
To
ring
a
telephone
a
battery
powered
hand
crank
was
used.
The
office
was
moved
to
Mr.
Woodson’s
home
where
Quillen
Supplies
located.
Myrtle
Woodson
became
an
operator.
The
company
then
closed
the
office.
Mrs.
Lowry
does
not
remember
the
telephone
company’s
name.
It
must
have
been the Greenbrier Telephone Company as it was the first granted a franchise - March 3, 1899.
The Council minutes show Meadow Bluff Telephone Company was building lines in Alderson in February, 1913.
According
to
Mrs.
Mason
Bell
of
Lewisburg,
Limestone
Telephone
Company
of
Lewisburg
was
chartered
May
10,
1907.
This
company
operated
at
least
in
ten
communities
and
in
1909
the
records
of
the
company
show
it
bought
Southern
Bell
Telephone
and
Telegraph
Company
property
in
Alderson.
Many
small
country
lines
through
farming
communities
mutually
owned
by
those
they
served,
continued
to
operate
until
recent
years
in
various
sections.
Some
of
these
rural
companies
continued
to
operate
into
Alderson
and
were
equipped
to
switch
to
Limestone
Telephone
Company
lines.
In
fact,
some
subscribers
had
two
telephones,
one
for
each
Company.
Many
subscribers
owned
their
own
telephones.
Limestone
Telephone
Company
expanded
in
Alderson
and
probably
bought
several
of
the
small
mutually
owned
lines.
Their
rates
were
about
$1.50
per
month
for
a
residence,
$2.00
for
a
business
and
if
the
subscriber
owned
the
telephone
the
rate
was
lower.
Limestone
Telephone
Co.
operated
in
Alderson
until
1927 when Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company bought it.
When
Chesapeake
and
Potomac
Telephone
Company
started
in
1927
there
were
about
120
"stations."
Mr.
Millard
Perdue,
Lewisburg,
now
retired,
was the first manager for C. & P.
Alderson residents remember the Vaughan sisters, Lillian and Margie, who for many years were operators.
In
1939,
with
about
300
subscribers,
the
dial
system
came
to
Alderson
and
the
day
of
the
operators
passed.
Automation
killed
the
job
except
for
long
distance. In January, 1964, Chesapeake and Potomac had 791 "stations” with an Alderson address.
In
1901
Alderson
heard
the
first
applicant
for
a
franchise
to
provide
electricity
to
the
town.
On
August
22,
1901,
Alderson
Light,
Water
and
Ice
Company
was
given
a
50-year
franchise
to
run
light
and
water
lines
in
the
corporate
limits.
It
was
not
an
exclusive
franchise.
The
company
evidently
was owned by C. K. Thompson, C. H. Robbins and Dr. W. C. Beard. The franchise was not exercised.
On
September
1,
1902,
a
franchise
was
granted
Greenbrier
Milling
Company
to
manufacture
electricity,
run
lines,
erect
poles
and
sell
to
public
and
private
customers.
The
town
agreed
to
have
the
company
install
not
less
than
thirty
street
lights
at
$12
per
year
each.
The
franchise
was
for
fifteen
years and was signed by G. K. Gwinn, president of the company and Palmer Shanklin, Mayor.
The first light bill, $30, for the town street lights was paid January 5, 1903, for the month of December, 1902.
The
first
private
home
furnished
with
electricity
was
that
of
L.
E.
Johnson.
Greenbrier
Milling
Company
continued
to
furnish
electricity
on
a
limited
basis
to
a
few
customers
on
the
Monroe
side.
It
did
not
supply
the
customer
demand.
On
August
5,
1910,
Town
Council
granted
a
franchise
to
A.
J.
Jones
to
operate
an
electric
plant
and
lines.
He
did
not
exercise
his
franchise.
Mr.
Jones
planned
a
hydro-electric
development
from
Ballengee’s
Mill
on
Muddy
Creek
to
Palestine,
carrying
water
by
either
a
large
conduit
or
race,
and
running
a
large
water
turbine
by
drop
of
the
water
of
58
feet.
This
was an expensive project requiring sums of money A. J. Jones failed to raise. (Ref: Conversation with J. Herbert Jones, 4-4-64.)
On
April
11,
1913,
J.
E.
Shields
submitted
a
contract
for
a
franchise
to
Alderson
Light
and
Power
Company.
A
J.
Jones
objected
and
the
contract
was
not
granted.
The
company
re-applied
for
a
franchise
on
August
1,
1913
and
on
August
8,
1913,
a
40-year
franchise
was
granted,
signed
by
G.
K.
Gwinn,
president.
There
was
much
opposition
to
the
granting
of
this
franchise
and
a
petition
by
prominent
citizens
was
filed
with
Council.
The
Council
finally,
by
a
vote
of
4
to
3,
granted
a
franchise
to
Alderson
Light
and
Power
Company
with
reservations
as
to
rates
to
be
charged
and
the
duty
of
the
company to fulfill all agreements.
Shortly
thereafter,
September
12,
1913,
A.
J.
Jones
asked
that
his
franchise
of
August
5,
1910
be
renewed.
Council
asked
for
formal
application
which
Mr.
Jones
furnished
and
on
November
14,
1913
he
was
granted
a
franchise
for
40
years,
which
was
signed
December
12,
1913.
On
the
same
date,
December
12,
1913,
the
Virginia-Western
Power
Co.
wrote
Council
about
furnishing
power,
signed
by
A.
C.
Ford,
secretary-treasurer,
Clifton
Forge,
Virginia.
The
matter
of
giving
Virginia-Western
a
street-lighting
"contract"
was
discussed
by
Council
February
27,
1914.
Apparently,
from
the
records,
they
had
no
franchise
but
had
acquired
Greenbrier
Milling
Company’s
electric
plant.
The
first
bill
for
street-lights
by
Virginia-Western
Power
Company
was
paid
February
20,
1914.
This
record
is
confusing
as
it
seems
four
firms
and
individuals
had
franchises
at
one
time.
(Ref:
Town
Council
minutes.)
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 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
