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Historic Clifton 10:00 am, October 29, 2016

Meetup location: Clifton Elementary School, 7010 Clifton Rd, Clifton, VA 20124

How to find us: We’ll meet in the elementary school parking lot

Let’s take a walk in historic Clifton!

"Without traffic lights or a direct postal service, Clifton remains an enchanting relic of a time past.

Functioning a few decades behind the rest of the world, Clifton's façade is composed of houses that are

almost all over one hundred and twenty years old. White picket fences line main street, rustic lanterns

and barrels full of flowers adorn the small hub of town. Featuring a handful of shops—a general store,

florist and antique collector—Clifton's economy has not developed much since its founding days as a

small railroad station."*

The route: From the meetup point at Clifton Elementary School parking lot, we’ll walk down the trail to

VA-645 and enter town along Main Street. At Richards Lane we’ll divert to the right and left to examine

buildings northwest of the railroad tracks, then cross them to check out Devereux Station. From

Devereux Station we’ll make a big clockwise circle around town to visit most of its historic structures,

ending the tour in front of the Clifton Store. From there, members can have lunch at one of the

restaurants nearby, cross Main Street to visit the Clifton Wine Shop & Tasting Room, or return north

along Main Street to our meetup point.

The hike is about 2.1 miles of smiles and should take about an hour and a half to two hours at a slow

pace, depending on whether we enter any houses. The surface is mostly paved, with gravel and dirt

trails here and there, and is mostly flat in town.

Google map: http://tinyurl.com/qxn4bub

How to get there: From the VA-286/Fairfax County Parkway, turn onto VA-654/Pope’s Head Rd and

drive west 2.9 miles. Turn left onto VA-645 and drive 1.6 miles. At the elementary school sign turn right

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onto Great Oak Lane, then immediately left onto Burns Way. Follow Burns way until it ends in the

elementary school parking lot.

Sorry, this is not a Metro-accessible hike.

What to bring: Water, comfy shoes, and your furry friend if desired (leashes, please). We won’t be

walking too fast, due to stops to check out the houses, so consider a light jacket.

Weather: It's too early to see the forecast, but updates will be here: http://tinyurl.com/qh44j5u

Advisory: As a reminder, this is an adult group, and you are ultimately responsible for your own safety

and well-being during events. No one under 18 years of age is allowed at this event, either as members

or as guests, to include babies in carriers and/or strollers.

Administrative stuff: There are a few restrooms and drinking fountains at commercial locations along

our route and nearby, notably in Burke Center, at the corner of Ox Rd and Burke Center Parkway.

Notes:

McDonald’s, 5651 Burke Centre Pkwy, Burke, VA 22015, 703-250-3652

Clifton Wine Shop & Tasting Room, 7145 Main St, Clifton, VA 20124, 703-266-1607.

http://tinyurl.com/nlp8ucz

* Hilary Hodge, 2002, http://tinyurl.com/o86yeaa

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Historic Clifton Notes on structures

1. Clifton Creek House, 1930. This structure was built on the site of a

previous house, in the style of a late 1800's Victorian farm house. Its main

feature is the solid oak woodwork throughout the house. For several years,

beginning in 1997, this home served as a bed and breakfast.

2. Clifton Hotel, 1869. Built by Harrison Otis in 1859, Clifton Hotel was a

popular summertime rail destination for many Washingtonians. Although no

guest registers have survived, Presidents Arthur Hayes and T. Roosevelt are

said to have stayed at the hotel. There is also strong evidence that Ulysses S.

Grant stayed here several times. In 1881, capacity of guests was listed as 50

and the price of room and board was $7 a week or $27 a month.

3. Clifton Presbyterian Church, 1870. In 1870 the Clifton Presbyterian

Church was organized, and the congregation built the gable-roofed, stone

church in 1871 on land facing Richards Lane near the railroad tracks, sold to

them by Harrison G. Otis. The vernacular building features rough-faced

limestone in a random ashlar pattern, elongated, round-arched windows on

the side elevations, and a corner, frame bell tower.

4. The "Pink" House, 1905. The house was built by the Ambler family who

maintained a farm outside of town where they grew various crops. In the

1960s, a business located here painted the building pink and it has been

known by locals ever since as the "Pink" House. The house was repainted

yellow in the late 1990s.

5. Frick Eclipse Steam Engine, 1899. George Frick, born in 1826 on a farm in

Lancaster County, PA, designed and built sawmills, threshing machines, and

portable steam engines to run them at a factory he opened at Waynesboro,

PA in 1861. At Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition in 1876, a Frick Eclipse

farm traction engine won the gold medal for the best in its class. Four years

later, an Eclipse engine won out over 25 other engines at an exposition in

Melbourne, Australia. Business was booming and a new factory was built in

1881. In 1885, the Frick Daniel Boone traction engine was shown at fairs and

won 39 first premiums. That year, the firm was incorporated and, in 1888,

George Frick retired. This particular engine, number 7888A, was built in

1899. Today, York & Frick manufactures industrial refrigeration equipment

as a subsidiary of Johnson Controls.

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6. The Red Barn, 1936. Originally constructed as a gold ore reduction plant,

it was later used as a cinder block factory and is now owned by the Clifton

Betterment Association and used as a storage facility.

7. Devereux Station, 1863. During the Civil War, Pennsylvanian Herman

Haupt, a noted bridge designer and the superintendent of Union military

railroads, commissioned John Devereux, the railroad superintendent in

Alexandria, to build a siding on the Orange & Alexandria R.R. on this site,

later known as Devereux Station. (Historical marker text; Library of

Congress image.)

8. Detwiler House, c. 1900. Samuel Detwiler lived in this house in 1905

when he was the town liveryman. With the demise of the horse and buggy,

he and his son Frank began a dairy farm. Their barn was located where the

post office now stands. The house was renovated in 1985 and 2013.

9. Beasley House, 1929. (South side of the street.) This replica of a Sears

house was built by Novello Beasley, a huckster (a person who sells his

products in the street) who sold livestock at market in Washington, D.C. In

later years, it was the home of Clifton Mayor, Julian Burke, who helped

organize the Clifton Betterment Association and the first "Clifton Day"

festival, and has also served as the town treasurer's office.

10. Woodyard House, 1899. This house was built by Wallace Woodyard

who was one of Clifton's great lumber merchants. It contains the best in

material and workmanship. The building embodies the simple turn of the

century vernacular architecture found throughout the town in materials,

design and size.

11. The Barber Shop, 1884. The front portion of this building first served as

an out-kitchen for the Payne House. Around 1918, it was moved across

Chapel Street where it served as home for the train agent. In 1935 the first

floor became Tom Fairfax's barber shop until the mid-1960s. In 1972 it was

moved to the present site, restored and enlarged for use as an antique

shop.

12. Hetzel House, 1870. (South side of the street.) The Hetzel House was

named after its resident Susan Riviere Hetzel, who founded the National

Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is a gable front and

wing structure, frame and weatherboard with a metal-seamed roof.

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13. The Old Fire Station. The old town volunteer fire station here was

replaced in the 1950s with a larger one on the opposite side of the street. In

1995, the county rebuilt the 1950s station with a modern structure which

now includes the current town hall with larger meeting facilities. The old

building now houses the Clifton Post office and a number of stores.

14. Old Town Hall, 1905. This building was originally known as the Crosen

house, a private residence that housed a family with eight children. Later

the house was inhabited by the Gunther family. The town purchased the

building in 1973 to be used for town meetings.

15. McDaniel House, 1895. This house was built on a lot owned by a freed

slave. This house was in the Pitkin family for over 60 years.

16. Wine House, 1905. Originally built in 1905 by C.H. Wine, who was a

builder as well as one of the organizers and treasurer of the Bull Run Power

Company which eventually became Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative.

The house was enlarged and restored in 1973 and retains the charm and

architecture of the Victorian era.

17. Fairfax House, 1905. This house was originally the summer kitchen for

the Wine House next door. The building was moved to its current location,

converted into a house and sold to Mr. Spinks in 1908. It later became the

home of the Fairfax family until it was sold and restored in 1997.

18. Kincheloe House, 1900. The sign notes that “Huckster George Kincheloe

worked the area until the end of Prohibition” and describes how his wife

sold beer to school teachers. The Kincheloe family were early settlers of

Northern Virginia who emigrated from Scotland to secure a land grant given

to them by Lord Fairfax. The family cemetery is about a mile south of

Clifton.

19. Buckhill, 1902. The house was built by H. Longley. Oscar Woody resided

here from 1910 until he went down on the Titanic. This was the home of

Robert and Helen Elgin Buckley for 52 years, and was completely renovated

by their niece and her husband in 1984.

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20. Miller House, 1907. Built by Mr. Miller, this Victorian farmhouse has

been the home to several Clifton families, including the Fords and Detwilers.

21. Davis Buckley House, 1913. Built in 1913 for Lucy Virginia Davis Buckley,

who lived here with her youngest daughter until 1923. It has been the home

of two of Clifton's Mayors, W. Swem Elgin and James C. Chesley. Clifton's

third elementary school building (1895-1912) and the first high school

building (1909-1912) were located in what is now the yard to the left of the

house.

22. Kivett House, 1904. This carpenter Gothic Victorian house features three

stories, and a wraparound second floor porch. The house was sited on a

steep hill and uses its terraced yards to create several levels of outdoor

space.

23. Clifton Primitive Baptist Church, 1871. In 1863, during the Civil War,

William Beckwith died and left 200 acres of property to his slaves, whom he

freed in his will. In 1869, the former slaves and their children formed the

Cub Run Primitive Baptist Church Association and erected the church.

24. Cross House, 1886. This house was built by James B. Cross, coach and

wagon builder, wheelwright and blacksmith. Clifton's only undertaker, he

was a Magistrate and a member of the first Town Council.

25. Buckley House, 1896. Robert R. Buckley, the first mayor of Clifton and

owner of the Buckley Brother's General Store, built this house as a wedding

present for his bride, Anna Detwiler.

26. Kidwell House, 1890. The A.J. Kidwell family lived here beginning in 1890

for nearly 60 years. Kidwell was the town blacksmith and a member of the

first town council in 1902. He operated a smithy in the now-vacant lot

beside the First Baptist Church.

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27. Harris House, 1830. Built by the Harris Family and later acquired by

Thomas Moore of Williamsburg, this is one of the two oldest houses in

Clifton, the other being the Beckwith House. It is original in all detail and

contains a sick room with its outside entrance that was common during that

period.

28. Wright House, 1941. (East side of the street.) Built in 1941 reputedly by

a gangster, this is Clifton's only stone house. Local craftsmen used stone

mined from a quarry near Robey's farm on Chapel Road. The house featured

the first full indoor bathroom in town.

29. Mercantile Store, 1884. (East side of the street.) This building was built

as a General Mercantile Store and though the years has been occupied as a

Saloon, Church, Pool hall, Dry Goods, Bakery, Grocery, and Cabinet shop.

The addition was added in 1926 for a Barber Shop. The building was

completely restored in 1965.

30. Clifton Baptist Church, 1912. The church was organized in the 1870s, but

the original structure, built in 1877 on the corner of Main Street and Chapel

Road, was replaced in 1912 with the present frame, neo-Gothic style

building. The pointed-arch windows, with their wood tracery, and the

shingled bell tower are characteristic of this period of church architecture.

31. Payne House, 1884. (East side of the street.) This elegant Carpenter

Gothic home was built by Melvin M. Payne, a house builder and lumber

broker to the railroads. Payne's bench mark, a split tree and cross, can be

found 'branded' on the framing of many older Clifton area homes. It is also

carved into the parlor mantel.

32. Fulmer House, 1911. Built by Clifton lumber merchant J.M. Fulmer, who

was twice mayor of Clifton, from 1920-1924 and 1930-1936. This house is an

excellent example of the Carpenter Gothic architectural style typical of the

period. The house was completely restored in 1972.

33. The Red Gables, 1907. This impressive Victorian was built as a summer

home by Will Richards. On the property is a restored 1790 Tennessee cabin

rebuilt log-by-log.

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34. Ferndale, 1904. The Poindexter family built this house in the Folk

Victorian style. An old postcard written by Laura Poindexter revealed that

the house was named "Ferndale". Long time Clifton resident, Margaret

Detwiler Webb lived and painted here as a young woman in the 1920's.

Actress Helen Hayes vacationed here with her nephew and his wife in the

1960's. The facade of the house was restored in 2000.

35. Wm. E. Beckwith House, 1771. Also known as the Homestead, this home

contains Clifton's oldest remaining structure. Originally a three room log

house, it was part of the 200 acres left by William Beckwith to his sixteen

slaves, all of whom were freed in his will in 1863. The original portion

contained a huge stone fireplace still visible today. Modified through the

years, its most illustrious moment in history was during the Civil War years

of 1862-63 when it served for a short time as General Pope's headquarters.

36 Mayhugh Tavern, c. 1870. F.G. Mayhugh operated "a genteel & orderly

bar" from this house in the early 1900's. Originally the house had only one

room and it faced the railroad tracks on Ford Lane. The house was expanded

in 1876, and moved to its present site in 1970.

37. Quigg House, 1896. A French Second Empire, two-story frame and

weatherboard structure with dormer windows in the roof. The center bay is

set forward and to either side of it a porch roof extends at the first floor

level. An addition to the rear is topped with a skeletal rendering of the

mansard roof in an open, wooden treatment. This is the only example of

this architectural style in Clifton and is one of the most interesting visual

elements of Main Street.

38 Weaver House, 1898. The original structure was built in 1898 as a

residence for the Weavers, who owned the general store next door. It was

destroyed by fire in 1930 that erupted in the general store. The present

structure, built in the 1930s, is a one story, craftsman-style bungalow with

decorative accents in the brackets. The 1983 addition to the north facade

carefully replicates the style, including the brackets.

39. The Buckley Store, 1900. “From a pin to a plow" was the Buckley

Brothers' motto for their general store which was the largest store between

Alexandria and Front Royal at one time. Since the Clifton School did not own

a scale, the scales in the store were used to weigh the school children, as

well as grain and nails. The Buckley Store remained in the family until 1951.

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40. Clifton Store, 1930. A one story, concrete block structure which

replaced an older structure that burned about 1930.

41. Ayre House, 1890. Built by Thomas Anthony Ayre, a Southern Railway

Agent when Clifton was a bustling Railroad Center and when Ford Lane was

one of the Main Streets of Clifton. Restoration completed in 1978.

(Construction date mismatch between sources; 1905 is also given.)

42. Leander Makely House, 1878. (Also known as the Ford House, c. 1886.)

Leander Makely was assessed tax on buildings here in 1878 and was shown

living here on the 1878 Hopkins map. He was one of Clifton's merchants.

After his death in 1886, the property descended to his daughter, Martha

who married Charles H. Ford, son of William E. Ford, in 1907. The Fords sold

the land to Frederick Sauber in 1922. The house was restored in 1969.

References:

Historic Register Nomination (pdf): http://tinyurl.com/qeylbxx

Frank Harrell, “The Historic Structures of Clifton Virginia.” http://tinyurl.com/qb7rwv3

Debbie Robison, " Formation of the Village of Clifton, Virginia." http://tinyurl.com/nr2hzvj

Nan Netherton, “Clifton: Brigadoon in Virginia.” Excerpts at http://tinyurl.com/ph77uxj

Kincheloe Family Cemetery at MyCemetery.org, http://tinyurl.com/nue5k94

George Frick and His Steam Empire: http://tinyurl.com/j58o8p2

Frick Steam Engine Serial Number List: http://tinyurl.com/zl5q2yz