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History · Clifton

53% of Clifton’s homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 56 buildings. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1880.

1on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Clifton’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Clifton’s past

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

A historic districtThe Clifton Historic District takes in 56 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Clifton’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19157 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1990. Watch Clifton change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 56 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
56
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Clifton Historic District
Clifton Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
Vernacular1
Second Empire1
Craftsman/Bungalow1
Clifton Historic DistrictGothic Revival

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

The story

How Clifton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clifton.

Read it all →

Before the arrival of European settlers, the present-day Clifton area was part of the hunting grounds used by Algonquin-speaking members of the Dogue tribe. The Dogue lived in villages and towns along the Potomac River and nearby Occoquan River. They carved bowls out of soapstone found in the area.

European settlers composed of Scots merchants created the first nearby port settlement in the mid-1710s on the Potomac River near the present-day Dumfries-Triangle area. Land in the Clifton area began to be settled in the early 18th century.

ChaptersColonial eraCivil War20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Clifton on the map, 1915 to 1990

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

Clifton on the 1915 USGS mapClifton on the 1944 USGS mapClifton on the 1951 USGS mapClifton on the 1966 USGS mapClifton on the 1971 USGS mapClifton on the 1983 USGS mapClifton on the 1990 USGS map1915Fairfax 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.

Timeline

Clifton, 1861 to 2002

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1861In the archiveBurnt bridge over Pope's Head, near Devereux Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad
  3. 1869Post officeThe Clifton Station post office opens
  4. 1892Born hereHarry Strang is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1940Post officeThe Clifton Station post office closes
  8. 1940Post officeThe Clifton post office opens
  9. 1990Born hereDrew Courtney is born here
  10. 1996Born hereJustin Skule is born here
  11. 21st century
  12. 2002Born hereGriffin Yow is born here
By decade

Clifton, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s10 items
Burnt bridge over Pope's Head, near Devereux Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1861Burnt bridge over Pope's Head, near Devereux Station,…View on Pope's Head, near burnt bridge, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1861View on Pope's Head, near burnt bridge, Orange & Alex…Embankment near Union Mills Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1861Embankment near Union Mills Station, Orange & Alexand…View on Pope's Head, near burnt bridge, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1861View on Pope's Head, near burnt bridge, Orange & Alex…Union Mills Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1861Union Mills Station, Orange & Alexandria RailroadU.S. Military Railroad Construction Corps repairing Orange and Alexandria R.R. at Devereux Station1861U.S. Military Railroad Construction Corps repairing O…Excavating for Y at Devereux Station Orange & Alexandria Railroad1863Excavating for Y at Devereux Station Orange & Alexand…Excavating for "Y" at Devereux Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1863Excavating for "Y" at Devereux Station, Orange & Alex…Union Mills Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1863Union Mills Station, Orange & Alexandria RailroadExcavating for "Y" at Devereux Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad1863Excavating for "Y" at Devereux Station, Orange & Alex…
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.

Burnt bridge over Pope's Head, near Devereux Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad
Retake this viewBurnt bridge over Pope's Head, near Devereux Station, Orange & Alexandria Railroad, 1861

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Clifton, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 282

Between 94 and 282 people in every census since 1880.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Clifton

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

See all →
G
Griffin YowAmerican soccer player · b. 2002
Justin SkuleAmerican football player · b. 1996
H
Harry StrangAmerican actor · b. 1892
D
Drew CourtneyTennis player · b. 1990
Tony DewsAmerican football coach · b. 1973
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Clifton’s post office has been open since 1940. Another post office, Clifton Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Clifton Station
1869–1940
Clifton
1940–today
18601940today

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

Help out

Finish Clifton’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBurnt bridge over Pope's Head, near Dev…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Union MillIts storyD

Questions about Clifton’s history

What is on the National Register in Clifton?

One place: the Clifton Historic District (listed 1985).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (8), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.