You may be surprised to learn of a four-story school built in 1924 that has been vacant since the 1990s. It’s unsurprising what time will do to even the most solid of structures when it is abandoned to the wilds of Mother Nature. Such is the case with this school building that served as home for many schools over the years since it was completed, including the predecessor to Alderson-Broaddus University.
Before Alderson College merged with Broaddus College and both schools moved to Philippi, Alderson was located in the tiny town of Alderson.
The school evolved from a private high school that began in 1901 in a much smaller building than the four-story giant left to the spoils of Mother Nature in the 1980s by a Baptist high school that had begun in 1953, long after Alderson merged with Broaddus.
Today, the remnants of the once majestic structure are in tatters.
The school saw many uses over the years; first as a private high school, then as Alderson Junior College, Alderson College, Armstrong College, and finally Mountain State Baptist School.
The schools final years as Mountain State Baptist School brought the structure full circle back to a functioning private high school. A wooden backboard and basketball rim hang in one large space that may have been used as a gymnasium.
It's believed that for a short while after the closure of the Mountain State Baptist School, the property was somewhat converted into rental apartments until sometime in the 1990s.