Alleghany County: Railroad Heritage and Culture

Explore Alleghany County through several historical perspectives: railroads and industry, African American community life, and arts and culture are showcased in different places. Museums, historic buildings, a theater, and educational offerings give you specific themes to explore. When planning your trip, you can decide whether railroad technology, architectural history, or contemporary cultural programs should take center stage.

Railroad history in exhibitions and along a former rail line

The C&O Railway Heritage Center is a railroad museum and visitor center. It presents the history of the C&O Railway and its people, places, and technology. Indoor and outdoor exhibits, scale models, preserved railroad equipment, and recreated railroad structures shape this walk-through presentation. The Jackson River Scenic Trail follows the former route of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway’s Hot Springs Branch. While the Heritage Center showcases railroad equipment and models, here the former rail line itself is the focus.

Theater, arts, and education

The Historic Masonic Theatre in downtown Clifton Forge offers live music, film screenings, theatrical productions, educational programs, and community events. The Clifton Forge School of the Arts offers adults and children opportunities to learn and train in visual and applied arts, in both recreational and career-oriented programs. At the Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center, gallery exhibitions change every four to six weeks. These cultural offerings take different forms: stage events, arts education, and changing gallery exhibitions.

Historic buildings and their stories

Humpback Bridge is the only surviving curved covered bridge in the United States and also Virginia’s oldest covered bridge. After it was bypassed in 1929, it was restored as a scenic wayside. Douthat State Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the role its design played in the development of parks across the United States.

Oakland Grove Presbyterian Church is the oldest known church building in Alleghany County. During the Civil War, it was converted into a Confederate hospital. The two stories highlight different aspects: the bridge’s design and restoration are central, while the church’s story also includes its use during the war.

Railroads, industry, and community in Clifton Forge

The Clifton Forge Commercial Historic District traces the city’s growth as a major railroad hub, with extensive marshalling yards for coal trains. The Clifton Forge Residential Historic District focuses on homes associated with the growth and prosperity of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It also includes churches and schools associated with the African American community.

From 1926 to 1965, Jefferson School provided African American students in Clifton Forge with elementary and secondary education. For almost 40 years, it was central to Clifton Forge’s Black community. Education and community history are therefore part of the city’s story, alongside its development around the railroad.

During the Civil War, Australia Furnace supplied iron to Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond. Clifton Furnace is the only surviving remnant.

Discover more destinations: Low Moor, Norfolk, Fredericksburg, Accomack County, Essex County, Nottoway County, Williamsburg, Mecklenburg County.

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