Major J.C. Alderson
1839-1912
J. Coleman Alderson helped to found Mountain Lake Park and purchased land to later create Loch Lynn Heights, located “across the tracks.” His new town allowed gambling, drinking, card playing, and all the vices prohibited in Mountain Lake Park.
Alderson helped found Mountain Lake Park but also purchased farmland on the south side of the B&O Railroad that would become the neighboring town his wife, Mary Price, would name Loch Lynn Heights in 1994 to reflect her Scottish heritage. She died a year later.
The strict moral restrictions in Mountain Lake Park were bolstered by the contrasting lax attitudes of Loch Lynn Heights. The saying, “If you want to sin, go to Loch Lynn, but for Jesus’ sake, come to Mountain Lake,” became a motto that benefited both communities.
Born in Amherst County, Virginia, Alderson worked his way up through the military ranks after enlisting to fight in the Civil War for the Confederacy. He was a member of the “Greenbrier Clavary,” was injured twice in battle, and was captured and detained in Camp Chase, Ohio. Following the war, Alderson invested in the coal and timber businesses and founded Williamson and Bellpoint prior to his ventures in Western Maryland.
Living to the age of 74, Alderson bore witness to the peak of Mountain Lake Park’s acclaim. He is buried at the Old Greenbrier Baptist Church Cemetery
J.C. Alderson enlisted in 1961 to fight for the Confederacy.