Author Jacq Dwyer finishes two books on her home of Alton in South Taranaki

Jacq Dwyer (right) and Caitlin Finnerty with both editions of The History of a Settlement. Photo / Supplied

Two books documenting the history and people of Alton in South Taranaki are ready to go.

Author Jacq Dwyer, who was born in nearby Kakaramea, has lived in Alton for the past 20 years.

Four of those were spent writing two editions of The History of a Settlement.

Some members of local families were descendants of those who arrived in the 1870s, Dwyer said.

"I started by interviewing older people and getting their stories. I have been doing that for years, really.

"Suddenly, you get some amazing information that really has to go into a book on its own."

Dwyer said the Alton Dairy Factory, which closed in 1984, won awards for cheesemaking.

It housed "very high-tech machinery for the time".

"There are a couple of people who stayed on after it shut. They're still here today."

The Alton Coronation Hall was still well used, she said.

"We've got the Alton Wrestling Club in there, which started in 1946. There are around 30 kids on its roll at the moment.

"There is also a little church which we bought from the Anglican Church for a dollar in 2016. They didn't want the maintenance so we took it back and restored it.

"It was quite rotten on one side. We rebuilt a wall and it's all looking gorgeous now."

Alton, 3km inland from State Highway 3 along Ball Rd, currently has a population of about 200.

Dwyer said gathering photos for the books was a fascinating task.

"I often had to scan them from someone's albums and tidy them up. Most have never been printed before.

"I managed to get photos of most of the old houses in Alton as well. A lot are long gone but people remember them."

Alton School opened in 1881 and closed in 1995, with the Alton Hotel following suit in 2011.

The settlement began life in 1876 and was called Woodville for 11 years.

A Post Office was then established and a new name was required so it wasn't confused with Woodville in the Tararua District.

"The name Alton actually came from James Gibbs, who is the great-great grandfather of the current Alton Hall Committee chair, Harvey Gibbs. It's from where he grew up in England," Dwyer said.

"There was a little ballot, James Gibbs put in Alton, and he won."

The Alton war memorial commemorates the 21 local men who lost their lives in World Wars I and II. Photo / Supplied

Dwyer, who is president of the Pātea Historical Society, said 14 men from Alton lost their lives in World War I, with a further seven being killed in World War II.

The 20-ton Alton War Memorial was moved from outside the school to a section next to the hall in 2013.

"All their names are on it. It's a huge amount for such a small place.

"We always have a big Anzac Day, and there were around 150 people this year."

Dwyer worked with book designer Caitlin Finnerty for the project.

Both books - "Alton" and "Family Stories" - have been printed in A4 size.

"Caitlin was absolutely pivotal in this. They are beautifully laid out," Dwyer said.

"The settlement book focuses on organisations and buildings like the school, the dairy factory, the hall and the two general stores.

"Then there are 32 different family stories.

"Both books are both pretty sizeable."

They are available for purchase by emailing jacq@dwyer.co.nz