I will always have a passion for promoting my own hometown of Alderson. This beautiful jewel in “Almost Heaven” West Virginia has so much to offer–from beautiful landscapes to beautiful people. It will forever remain a place I can’t get enough of, no matter how far I roam. However, like all small towns, it has seen better days and even though the local volunteers strive hard to improve the quality of life for its residents…it could use some help. That’s why when I learned about the HGTV Hometown Takeover search for a small town to makeover, I jumped at the chance to put Alderson in the limelight.
(VIDEO IS AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE)
Photo Courtesy of HGTV
Alderson enters HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover!”
Ben and Erin Napier of the popular TV series “Home Town” will hit the road in an upcoming series “Hometown Takeover,” their biggest renovation project ever–to makeover an ENTIRE town! Individual family homes, public spaces, local eateries, and more will all undergo a life-changing revitalization.
“Renovating one house at a time is an awesome experience. But the chance to support an entire town, where we help bring a community back to life — that’s something we’ve always wanted to try.”
~ Ben Napier, HGTV.com
Where is Alderson, West Virginia?
Nestled in the lush Greenbrier Valley you’ll discover Alderson, a small residential community, located in southern West Virginia. The town was originally settled in 1777 by “Elder” John Alderson, a frontier missionary for whom the town is named, who organized the first Baptist church in the Greenbrier Valley. It boasts a unique location situated in both Greenbrier and Monroe Counties along the beautiful Greenbrier River, just 30 minutes southwest of the famed Greenbrier resort.
A Little History on Alderson, WV – “Gem of the Hills”
Designated as a National Register of Historic Places, Alderson consists of 1,390 acres and 165 structures of historic or architectural significance. This historic town experienced its most prosperous time after the railroad came through in 1873. After the 1930s, this growth boom declined, but not before building a commercial historic district and beautiful Victorian era houses. The predominant building styles include Federal, Greek Revival, and Queen Anne styles, with the exception of Alderson’s Store, the oldest retail store in West Virginia, which features a distinctive Art Deco style. The main street area also features two prominent historic landmarks — an 1896 C&O Depot and a 1913 pedestrian bridge, the only concrete arch bridge remaining in West Virginia. The historic district is where Alderson’s Main Street organization concentrates efforts for revitalization as it’s where you’ll find many of the buildings in need of repair or repurpose.
The Greenbrier River is Alderson’s Biggest Asset
As a river town, Alderson provides numerous recreation opportunities–from fishing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and tubing. In fact, it’s Alderson’s hope to continue enhancing the riverbank by creating boat launches, river walks, and more. Alderson also has a large municipal park in need of a development plan to improve and better utilize the space to create more family recreational activities.
Alderson may be a small town, but it certainly has a lot going for it in the way of beautiful landscapes, hospitality, and numerous events. The town has festivals throughout the year, but most notable is the 4th of July Celebration, the largest in the state and named “Best July 4th Celebration” by West Virginia Living Magazine in 2012.
So Many Stories To Be Told…
Photo courtesy of Jack Robinson Archives
Alderson truly has a fascinating history waiting to be told. We are the only town in America that has ever had an ordinance mandating all lions in town must be on a leash. “French” the lion was raised in Alderson from 1890-1894. He was adopted from a traveling circus and roamed free until frightening an out-of-town salesman who jumped in the river. Hence, the ordinance. So, Alderson has since taken the lion as the town’s mascot…and today you’ll see lions all over town! There are also many interesting people with roots in Alderson, for instance Ada “Bricktop” Smith, a jazz-era singer who went on to own clubs in New York, Paris, Mexico City and Rome from the early 1920s to the 1960s. These are just a couple of the many stories begging to be shared.
Economic Development in Alderson:
Alderson has been working for the last 15 years to bring economic development and improvements to the area. Alderson Main Street has been successful in finding enough grant money to restore the outside of the historic 1896 C&O railroad depot. It also has been able to restore and repurpose a 1950s era gas station into a Visitors Center with space for retail. So the town is clearly trying, but there are many downtown buildings and some private homes in town that could still desperately use a makeover. To get things moving along, Alderson could use help in the way of much-needed funds, manpower, and national exposure, which HGTV could provide. We truly believe if you build it, they will come, and we hope HGTV will choose our small gem in the hills as the setting for the next Hometown Takeover!
HGTV Hometown Takeover Application Process:
- Qualified towns had to have a population of 40,000 or less
- Requirements: (1) video, (5) photos and a description
- Video Recommendations by HGTV:
“Applicants should strive to highlight aspects of their town that make it special, fascinating, historic or unique — including distinctive features like vintage period architecture, special destinations or a classic main street.” - Application Deadline: February 7, 2020
Watch Alderson’s Submission for Hometown Takeover
“Hometown Takeover” will be a six-episode special event slated to air on HGTV in 2021.
Learn More:
Special Thanks For Some Imagery In The Making Of The Video:
- Greenbrier County Convention & Visitors Bureau (B-Roll Footage)
- Wolfcreek Drone Photography (Aerial B-Roll Footage)
- Timothy Luce at Presidio Studios (Select Photographs)
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