Battlers Knob makes progress on reviving old Alderson Broaddus campus

PHILIPPI, W.Va. (WBOY) — Less than a year afte r Alderson Broaddus University (AB) declared bankruptcy, the company that set up shop on its campus, Battlers Knob LLC, has had a lot on its plate. But among new changes to the old campus, including a new entrance sign, the new owners are making sure they keep the spirit of AB alive.

The first way is through the name. Property Manager Cherri Sturm said owner Craig Phillips came up with Battlers Knob as a nod to the former university and its alumni. In addition to that, Battlers Knob recently opened up the Erickson Alumni Center as a 14-room hotel with a community kitchen after alumni reached out asking if they could still stay there.

A 12 News reporter who was present on AB’s last day noted that the building remained largely unchanged since the move with many AB signs and notes from the alumni to the public present.

The hotel is open to all who wish to stay there. “Just people that’s coming into the area, for you know, events. City of Philippi has some exciting things happening this summer, there’s a lot of family reunions,” said Sturm.

When 12 News last spoke to Sturm, the original plan for the alumni center was to turn it into an assisted living facility, but she now says that plan is on hold for the near future.

One other big change is the big new sign near the entrance. “You know, first we had to design our logo so we got that taken care of. We did get the main entry sign replaced, looks very nice and we will be replacing other ones around the campus as time goes,” Sturm said.

According to Sturm, the only program that remained unchanged throughout the move is the 31-year-old daycare center.

“They worked out a deal with the bankruptcy court and they were able to stay open. So that is a rental, they rent off of us, and they continue to be open as a daycare center and we hope that they’re there for a long run,” said Sturm.

Sturm said one of the company’s future goals is to turn the library into a museum dedicated to the former university’s history and create a gift shop from the leftover items the former university left in its own gift shop.

Several offices are already rented throughout the campus, with more leases in the works. Sturm said this is a big and costly project with no instruction manual, but they are trying to get as many events as they can afford now and hope to get bigger and better as they continue to grow.

Battlers Knob provided a schedule of events for the year which reads as follows:

• May 11 – Home Football game at 4 p.m.
• May 11 – Comedian Adam Minnick at 7 p.m.
• May 25 – Football game
• June 2 – Little Miss Rodeo Pageant
• June 7 – Fearless Fools at 7 p.m.
• June 8 – Football game
• June 20 – Ladies Night Out
• June 21 – Sacred Harmony/Chad Roberts 7 p.m.
• June 29 – Football game
• July 13 – Football game
• July 19 – The Hoppers gospel group
• July 20 – Football game
• Nov. 8 – Comedian Joel Byars
• Dec. 6 – Phillips & Banks Christmas concert

One of Battlers Knob’s tenants is the Appalachian Thunder . Sturm said they worked out a deal that allows the team to use the field and equipment already on campus for free in exchange for ticket sales and funds from food and merchandise going to Battlers Knob.

While many things have changed since Battlers Knob took over, the name has yet to be entered into navigation apps or placed on highway signs. This means that if you plan on visiting the campus, make sure you enter Alderson Broaddus University and follow signs for it on your way there.

To book an event or would like to rent, you can call 304-314-2860. Sturm said they’re working on getting a Facebook page up and running.

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