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Clifton Forge Happenings
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n The Town of Clifton Forge was chartered in 1906, but its history dates back to the 1700s. The land the town occupies was originally part of a 1770 land grant to Robert Gallaspy by Lord Botetourt, the Governor of Virginia. The land changed several times, and the Williamson and Smith families became owners in the 1820s. A settlement developed along both sides of the Jackson River from Slaughter Pen Hollow to Smith Creek. The iron industry in Alleghany County and the completion of a road over North Mountain (now U.S. Route 60) in 1826 began the growth of the settlement. William Lyle Alexander of Lexington owned a charcoal furnace and iron forge in the Rainbow Gorge near Iron Gate, and he named the forge "Clifton" in honor of his father's estate in Lexington, which is how the town got its name. The city incorporated that name in 1884, two years after the C&O named its new depot at the east end of the town "Clifton Forge."
n Clifton Forge has a rich railroad heritage with the first passenger train arriving in 1857. During the 19th century the Kanawha Valley Turnpike passed along the north side of the Jackson River. The area was known as Williamson, named after the early landowner. By 1857, the Virginia Central Railroad had extended its track from Staunton to the Jackson River. After the Civil War, the railroad expanded west to connect with the Covington and Ohio Railroad. In 1868, the two lines merged to form the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. When the track to Richmond was completed in 1881, the town boomed. Clifton Forge grew with the railroad industry and became a major maintenance facility for steam locomotives. C&O employed nearly 2,000 people. With the advent of the diesel engine, in the early 1950s, the C&O Railroad located its maintenance diesel shops in West Virginia and many of the jobs were transferred to the new facility. Clifton Forge is now home of the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc.
n Clifton Forge and its neighbors, the City of Covington and Alleghany County, comprise the Allegheny Highlands, Virginia's western gateway. The region, named for the Allegheny Mountains, is a lush mountain playground nestled at the southern tip of the Shenandoah Valley. Recreational and educational opportunities abound. Nearby are Douthat State Park, Lake Moomaw, and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, which offer camping, hiking, canoeing, boating, and fishing. Nearby colleges include Dabney Lancaster Community College, Washington & Lee University, Southern Virginia College, Roanoke College, and Virginia Military Institute. The Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center is located in downtown Clifton Forge and offers art exhibits and locally crafted items.
n Clifton Forge is the only city by that name in the United States. The city occupies the terraces and slopes on the north side of the Jackson River three miles north of where it merges with the Cowpasture River to form the historic James.
Sources: The Town of Clifton Forge, www.cliftonforge.org; Clifton Forge Main Street, Elaine Finestone, Susan Rollinson/Alleghany Micro.
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