Clifton Furnace, place in Virginia listed on National Register of Historic Places
Clifton Furnace is a stone-built iron furnace in Alleghany County, Virginia, constructed in 1846 and approximately 34 feet (10 meters) wide at the base. The structure tapers upward in a simple, square form typical of cold-blast charcoal furnaces of that era.
The furnace was built in 1846 and produced iron using charcoal heat until it stopped operating in 1854. A brief attempt to restart production occurred in 1874, but the site was permanently abandoned in 1877.
The site took its name from the nearby town of Clifton Forge, which was originally called Williamson's Station before adopting the furnace's name. This connection shows how central the iron industry was to shaping the local community and its identity.
The site sits near U.S. Route 220 and is visible from the road but is not open for inside access. The property is managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation, and visitors should respect the private land boundaries when viewing it.
The furnace used cold-blast technology, blowing unheated air into the fire instead of preheating it first. This technical innovation allowed for more efficient iron production than earlier methods and represented an important step in early American industrial development.
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