The Federal Bureau of Prisons facility Federal Prison Camp, Alderson, where media mogul Martha Stewart was imprisoned, is the largest employer in Alderson.
A portion of FPC Alderson is located in unincorporated Monroe County, while the other portion of the prison lies in unincorporated Summers County.

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.
Few archaeological remains of the early fort remain after the building of the Federal Prison Camp in the early 20th century.
Only notations in early journals refer to the location of the fort.

Betty Alderson, who is married to a descendant of the original founders of Alderson, stated "every business profited" when Martha Stewart was incarcerated at Alderson and media attention was focused on the community.
Residents planted bulbs into a garden that was to be named "Martha's Garden."
The Federal Bureau of Prisons facility Federal Prison Camp, Alderson, where media mogul Martha Stewart was imprisoned, is the largest employer in Alderson. A portion of FPC Alderson is located in unincorporated Monroe County, while the other portion of the prison lies in unincorporated Summers County.
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. Few archaeological remains of the early fort remain after the building of the Federal Prison Camp in the early 20th century. Only notations in early journals refer to the location of the fort.
Betty Alderson, who is married to a descendant of the original founders of Alderson, stated "every business profited" when Martha Stewart was incarcerated at Alderson and media attention was focused on the community. Residents planted bulbs into a garden that was to be named "Martha's Garden."
Alderson, West Virginia