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A+History
History · Clifton Forge

Clifton Forge’s post office opened in 1830, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 785 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1890.

1830first post office
4on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Clifton Forge’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Clifton Forge began

When was Clifton Forge founded?

1830

The Clifton Forge post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Williamson's (1877), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 1,792 in 18902020 census: 3,555196 years

How historic is Clifton Forge?

A+

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Clifton Forge post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Clifton Forge’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clifton Forge is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 253 in Virginia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clifton Forge’s overall grade.
Founding era1830, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194054.9% of homes (±9.1) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register4 listings, 786 historic buildings, 2,280 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)#2 of 253

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clifton Forge’s 2,280 sits above most of its state (100% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 786 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Clifton Forge’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Clifton Forge Historic District takes in 728 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1891 to 1921, drew every building in Clifton Forge.Old housesHalf of Clifton Forge’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

4 listings protect 786 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
786
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Clifton Furnace
Clifton FurnaceJefferson SchoolClifton Forge Historic DistrictClifton Forge Commercial Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Queen Anne1
Second Empire1
Colonial Revival1
Tudor Revival1
Georgian Revival1
Clifton FurnaceStructure
Jefferson SchoolClassical Revival
Clifton Forge Historic DistrictQueen Anne
Clifton Forge Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Clifton Forge’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clifton Forge’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewIron Mountain and Water Gap, near: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Clifton Forge, building by building, 1891–1921

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Clifton Forge fire insurance map, 1891, sheet 11891Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Clifton Forge came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clifton Forge.

Read 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

Clifton Forge, 1830 to 1962

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830Post officeThe Clifton Forge post office opens
  3. 1877Post officeThe Williamson's post office opens
  4. 1882Post officeThe Williamson's post office closes
  5. 1889Born hereRoger Arliner Young is born here
  6. 1898In the archiveIron Mountain and Water Gap, near
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900In the archiveIron Mountains & water gap near Clifton Forge
  9. 1927Born hereRichard Lawrence Hoffman is born here
  10. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 6,839
  11. 1931Born hereKent Ford is born here
  12. 1937In the archiveHewn log details. Not logs toenailed with cut spikes - King's Mill, U.S. Highway 60
  13. 1945On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 1962Born hereLisa Disbrow is born here
By decade

Clifton Forge, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1930s4 items
Iron Mountain and Water Gap, near1898Iron Mountain and Water Gap, nearIron Mountains & water gap near Clifton Forge1900Iron Mountains & water gap near Clifton ForgeJames River Water Gap, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway1900James River Water Gap, Chesapeake & Ohio RailwayHewn log details. Not logs toenailed with cut spikes - King's Mill, U.S. Highway 601937Hewn log details. Not logs toenailed with cut spikes …
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today14 recent
Amtrak "The Cardinal"2025Amtrak "The Cardinal"VA I-64 Exit 35 Jan 20232023VA I-64 Exit 35 Jan 20232017-07-21 11 20 37 View south along U.S. Route 220 Business (Verge Street) at A Street in20172017-07-21 11 20 37 View south along U.S. Route 220 B…Jefferson School2016Jefferson School3 Photos of the Old Dominion Chapter of the NRHS C&O Fantrip, October 26, 196920163 Photos of the Old Dominion Chapter of the NRHS C&O …Main Street Baptist Church2015Main Street Baptist ChurchJefferson School2015Jefferson SchoolClifton Forge - Masonic Amphitheatre2012Clifton Forge - Masonic AmphitheatreCSX 826 Locomotive2012CSX 826 LocomotiveC&O Railway Heritage Center - C&O 614 Locomotive - 32012C&O Railway Heritage Center - C&O 614 Locomotive - 3The Beginning and the End2011The Beginning and the EndC&O 614 Repainting Progress2011C&O 614 Repainting ProgressTriangle Store2008Triangle StoreDowntown Clifton Forge, Virginia, January 20082008Downtown Clifton Forge, Virginia, January 2008
On the map

Clifton Forge on the map, 1945 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clifton Forge. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Clifton Forge on the 1945 USGS mapClifton Forge on the 1962 USGS mapClifton Forge on the 1979 USGS mapClifton Forge on the 1986 USGS map1945Clifton Forge sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clifton Forge.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Iron Mountain and Water Gap, near
Retake this viewIron Mountain and Water Gap, near, 1898

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Clifton Forge’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Clifton Forge, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 6,839

Peaked at 6,839 in 1930; 3,555 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Clifton Forge’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Clifton Forge

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Roger Arliner YoungAmerican zoologist · b. 1889
R
Richard Lawrence HoffmanU.S. zoologist · b. 1927
K
Kent FordAmerican astronomer · b. 1931
Lisa DisbrowUS Air Force officer and defense civilian serva… · b. 1962
William Overstreet Jr.American fighter pilot · b. 1921
Trudi LaceyAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1958
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Clifton Forge’s post office has been open since 1830. Another post office, Williamson's, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Clifton Forge
1830–today
Williamson's
1877–1882
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Fairview Heights
Gone or out of use
Clifton Forge Elementary Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Clifton Forge
Crown HillMountain View

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

SelmaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Clifton Forge’s history

What year was Clifton Forge founded?

The Clifton Forge post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Clifton Forge rank for history?

Clifton Forge is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Clifton Forge?

4 listings: 1 building, 2 historic districts, the Clifton Forge Historic District and the Clifton Forge Commercial Historic District, with 785 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 786 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Clifton Forge?

55% of Clifton Forge’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1938.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (16), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.