The ABC’s Of Alexandria At 150

The Village of Alexandria held a 150-year celebration on Saturday, August 27. Among the events were a parade, antique tractor drive, beer garden with live music, corn-hole tournament, the dedication of a new mural, car/truck/bike show, an area firefighters water fight and many other activities.Located on Big Sandy Creek and near the Little Blue River, Alexandria was the first town on the ABC railroad. Towns along the ABC Railroad are named alphabetically, beginning with Alexandria and continuing with Belvidere, Carleton, and Davenport, all in Thayer County.Alexandria was also the first town platted in Thayer County. It was established in 1872 and named after founder Silas Alexander. His father, Issac Alexander, arrived with his family in 1859 and built a log cabin in the Big Sandy Valley.Alexandria has its roots in another, now long-abandoned community. Just three miles south and two miles east of Alexandria is the site of what was once the town of Meridian, which has long since reverted back to the land.According to some sources, Meridian was founded in 1865, although other sources claim the town dates back to sometime in the 1850s.Meridian was located along the Oregon Trail, which made it a likely place for some settlers to stop and set up homesteads. However, the St. Joseph Railroad opted to follow the Big Sandy Creek rather than the Little Blue River. When that line came through in 1872, most of Meridian’s citizenry packed up their belongings and moved to the new town of Alexandria. Some folks even transported entire buildings to their new addresses.While the exact date of the founding of the town is unknown, the date of its death is not. Meridian was abandoned in 1875, after a disastrous cyclone devastated what little remained of Meridian, and just three years after the founding of Alexandria.

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