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History · Iron Gate

Iron Gate’s post office opened in 1881, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1945 on and the census since 1890.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Iron Gate began

When was Iron Gate founded?

1881

The Iron Gate post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 199 in 18902020 census: 324145 years
Founding year: the first Iron Gate post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Iron Gate’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Iron Gate are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 777 in 1930; 324 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Iron Gate’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Iron Gate’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Iron Gate’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Iron Gate, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 777

Peaked at 777 in 1930; 324 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Iron Gate came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Iron Gate.

Read it all →

The Town of Iron Gate was incorporated in 1890. During the 1880s, iron mines began opening in Alleghany County and the Alleghany Iron and Ore Company opened its blast furnace in the northern end of Iron Gate. The proximity to the railroad made the site of Iron Gate an optimal location. Many men were employed by the company until 1919 when operations ceased. The town was the hub of Alleghany County's iron mining boom in the late 1800s, and later was home to a large tannery operation.

In 2000, the town voted against repealing its charter. Yet, the town is once again facing potential disincorporation.

ChaptersPotential disincorporation

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Iron Gate, 1881 to 1945

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Iron Gate post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 777
  5. 1945On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Iron Gate, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Iron Gate, Virginia2026Iron Gate, VirginiaIron Gate municipal building2018Iron Gate municipal buildingIron Gate UMC2018Iron Gate UMCIron Gate, Virginia2014Iron Gate, VirginiaIron Gate, Virginia2014Iron Gate, VirginiaIron Gate, Virginia2014Iron Gate, VirginiaIron Gate, VA Along the CSX James River Line2009Iron Gate, VA Along the CSX James River LineCSX 12007CSX 1VAMap-doton-IronGate2005VAMap-doton-IronGate
On the map

Iron Gate on the map, 1945 to 1986

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

Iron Gate on the 1945 USGS mapIron Gate on the 1962 USGS mapIron Gate on the 1979 USGS mapIron Gate 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 Iron Gate.

Famous people

Famous people close to Iron Gate

Nobody well known was born in Iron Gate itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Katherine JohnsonAfrican-American mathematician · b. 1918
Pat RobertsonAmerican media mogul and minister · b. 1930
C
Cy TwomblyAmerican painter, sculptor and photographer · b. 1928
Hilary HahnAmerican classical violinist · b. 1979
S
Sally MannAmerican photographer · b. 1951
G
Gary JenningsAmerican novelist · b. 1928

Questions about Iron Gate’s history

What year was Iron Gate founded?

The Iron Gate post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (9), Wikipedia, 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.