Clifton Forge’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Clifton Forge. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The town occupies land that was part of a 1770s land grant from Lord Botetourt to Robert Gallaspy when Botetourt was Governor of Virginia. The land passed into the hands of the Williamson and Smith families by the 1820s after several ownership changes, and a settlement developed along both sides of the Jackson River. The iron industry in the county and the completion of a road over North Mountain, now U.S. 60, caused the settlement to grow. The arrival of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) railroad further grew the town, especially with the establishment of a major steam engine maintenance facility. During the railroad's heyday, it employed over 2,000 people. In the early 1950s, the C&O decided to locate its diesel maintenance facilities in West Virginia, and many railroad jobs were transferred there.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Clifton Forge’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clifton Forge’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewIron Mountain and Water Gap, near, 1898: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Clifton Forge
See all 19 →
Clifton Forge, decade by decade
1990s
4 historic places in Clifton Forge
Clifton Forge has 4 listings on the National Register, and they protect 786 historic buildings, because Clifton Forge Historic District alone counts 728.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Iron Mountain and Water Gap, near (1898) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the Library of Congress (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.