Alderson 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.

In 1763, the nearby Muddy Creek settlements were destroyed by Shawnee Indians under Chief Cornstalk.

31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons facility Federal Prison Camp, Alderson, where media mogul Martha Stewart was imprisoned,[12] is the largest employer in Alderson.

[14][15] The Alderson Federal Prison Camp is located on the spot on which the earliest settlers of the area chose to settle and called their settlement Baughman's Fort.

Baughman's Fort was built in the 1750s and the settlement was supposedly destroyed by Native Americans shortly thereafter, though no factual evidence exists to support this theory.

"[17] "Alderson has gained fame for its elaborate Fourth of July festivities, as much a fitting celebration of small-town America as it is an observance of the nation's holiday.

[19] It currently has one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations in West Virginia, attracting approximately 15,000 people during the parade.

[21] Over six days, events include a fireman's rodeo, band shows, a car show, a parade, various races on the Greenbrier River, as well as a parade and fireworks.

[22] The Alderson Strawberry Festival began in 2016, and occurs during Memorial Day weekend every year.