Clifton Furnace
Why it's listed
Set into a steep bank above the Jackson River in Rainbow Gap, this cold blast charcoal furnace is built of large, rough-hewn rectangular stones that taper toward the top. The base is about thirty-four feet wide and the flue opening about eight and a half feet. A forge making wrought iron operated here by 1822, and in 1846 its owner, William Lyle Alexander, had the furnace built to produce pig iron. It turned out two and a half to three tons a week for eight years, then went out of blast in 1854 as demand shifted to wrought iron. A revamp in 1874 did not bring it back into use, and it was abandoned in 1877. The operation gave Clifton Forge its name. Today the overgrown stonework is the only surviving structure of the works and sits between U.S. 220 and the railroad. The surrounding ground may contain foundations and artifacts.
Significance in brief: The furnace is the only surviving structure of a once-busy iron operation that concentrated a significant part of Alleghany County's mid-nineteenth-century iron industry. The site gave its name to nearby Clifton Forge, later a major railroad junction. The adjacent land may also hold archaeological evidence about Virginia's early iron industry.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77001485, listed August 16, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Clifton Forge off U.S. 220, Clifton Forge |
|---|---|
| County | Alleghany County |
| Listed | August 16, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001485 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Receives little or no maintenance and is much overgrown, but survives in a generally good state of preservation; the furnace was abandoned in 1877. It sits within a state highway right-of-way. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.80967, -79.79708 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77001485.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14712188
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.