MOUNTAINEERS!

The Clifton Forge (Va.) High School
Alumni Association

needs you!

There is no city named Clifton Forge, in the country,
now that our Clifton Forge has downgraded its charter to Town!

It's only the second time that a Virginia city has sacrificed its city charter on the altar of economic salvation!

The Association was formed as a tool to interpret the cultural and historical aspects of the High School and it's story, to provide scholarships to deserving qualified students, and to save the old building as well. And, since the High School no longer exists by its old name, the association is an excellent tool by which alumni may get in touch with their old friends!

Registering the Association as a non-profit organization has resulted in the awarding of scholarships. The Association now is a bona fide 501(c)(3) organization qualified to receive donations which donors may deduct from their income taxes. Details regarding donations may be obtained by contacting the Association at the address published at the end of this page.

The structure which we knew as Clifton Forge High School was completed in time to have its first class graduate in 1928. Other students graduated school in Clifton Forge prior to that year but not from this building. It wasn't until 1947 that the plan included the 8th grade as part of the system.

Some of those early students still live in CF and are members of the association! There is not yet a figure for the total number of graduates, but a long list has been started, numbering over 2,000 so far.

1983 was the last year which saw a graduating class at CFHS. At that time, the economy of the surrounding area was in sad shape so that normal scholastic opportunities were beginning to disappear. The School Boards of Alleghany County and Clifton Forge City finally decided to combine, and the voters agreed. The Alleghany Highlands School System was born. (Alleghany Co. High School graduated its first students in 1964 and its last in 1983).

The red, white, and blue Alleghany Colts and the green and gold CF Mountaineers were consolidated into the red, white, and blue Alleghany Mountaineers.

And with the completion of a new, larger school on grounds in the Low Moor area, there are no schools operating in the Town Limits. The buidings are still there, but not occupied by any school function.

"Hail To C.F.H.S."

Our old school song, which is heard only in our memories now, is played to the march "Our Director", composed by Frederick Ellsworth Bigelow (1873-1929) and published in 1895. I found the tune on a CD entitled The Golden Age of the American March, (#80266-2; New World Records, NY). The CD probably has to be ordered, but it contains 18 tracks and is interesting in its own right. From the booklet enclosed in the jewel case, we find the following:

"... and F.E. Bigelow's 'Our Director' must rank among the most often played and widely known of all American marches. Its trio has been used for dozens of school songs. It seems odd that this famous march, published in 1895, is not currently to be found on a commerical recording. This piece, incidentally, is among the simplest to play, and it used to be a great favorite for parades. It is the only march by Bigelow that is remembered and still occasionally played."

According to the Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music and The Bigelow Family Genealogy" (the latter found in the holdings of the Bigelow Society Library), Bigelow's parents were Charles H. (b. 1831) and Ann ("Annie") [Jordan] Bigelow (b. 1842) of Ashland, Massachusetts. Charles and Annie had six children, five of them boys. All the boys were band musicians. Frederick eventually married Nellie Uran but they had no children. It seems fitting that a man who had no children of his own would be the source for a school song sung by millions of children and young adults. Maybe now they will remember the man as well as the song.

Frederick E. Bigelow also wrote another march called "NC4" to honor an early trans-Atlantic airplane flight. Since I haven't heard of it either, I'll look to find it.

I don't know just when the tune was adopted as the CFHS school song but it WAS sung in 1933; perhaps earlier graduates would have the answer to this and would let me know. It currently is the song of the William Fleming High School in Roanoke. Do you know of other schools which use this song?

The Little Brown Jug LIVES! ...

but not at the football games anymore. With the consolidation of the two school systems and the demise of CFHS, there is no more competition between the old CFHS and the Covington, Va. Cougars. The last game was played in 1983 and CFHS won it! So, the jug came to Clifton Forge, but it didn't stay for long. Following consolidation, the trophies of CFHS, including the Little Brown Jug, were put into storage at the new Alleghany High School! Can you believe it? Storage! Like the students from CFHS did not exist any longer so they couldn't see the trophies. While responsible parties ensured that the Jug was kept safe, it ended up in the Covington High School for safe keeping! Now, the CF students who fought for and won that Jug cannot see it (well, actually, they graduated and went on, so of course they can't see it; neither can anyone else from CFHS unless they go to Covington). But still it is odd. It seems that another safe place is needed closer to Clifton Forge, and the Alumni Association is trying to find such a place. We need your help in bringing that Little Brown Jug home for the final time!

The Alumni Association sponsors a number of reunion-like activities each year. Former students have an excellent opportunity for seeing their old teachers (perhaps just in print or picture), their friends, and their home town. Other activities currently in effect are the periodic socials, usually geared around city celebrations like the annual Fall Foliage Festival. You should have your name and address registered with the association, at any rate, even if you decide against membership, just so that you can be accounted for! (Wouldn't Miss Margaret simply LOVE that dangling preposition?)

If you know of former students or teachers who have passed away, please alert the Association by sending the name and date of the passing, along with other details such as place of death, burial, and survivors, to the address listed at the end of this page. It's sad to be gone and not remembered.

The old high school building is being used by other organizations now, including our own Alumni Association. The cafeteria is the Home Room now, after favorable terms were arranged. The building is now owned by the Town of Clifton Forge, which reassumed ownership after the closing of the schools inside the Town. When you're in town, find someone to take you by the Home Room and enjoy the memorabilia and nostalgia. The food's a bit cold now, though. Save the High School!

Other Alleghany County Historic Sites

The National Register Information System, a service of the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, lists some sites of importance in Alleghany County. Here they are, with the dates of their placement on the list (in no particular order except for the first one):

Clifton Furnace, US 220 at Rainbow Gorge; 1977
Douthat State Park Historic District; 1986
Fudge House, 620 Parklin Drive, Covington; 1993
Humpback Bridge, Dunlop Creek; 1969
Longdale Furnace Historic District; 1995
Massie House, US 220, Falling Spring; 1982
Oakland Grove Presbyterian Church, Selma; 1982 (aren't there some Confederate graves here?)
Persinger House, Va. rt. 788, Covington; 1982
Sweet Chalybeate Springs, Va. rt. 311; 1974
Wood Hall, Callaghan; 1982

You can visit the National Register and see what other sites are listed.

And just how is YOUR old homestead? The house in which I was raised in Clifton Forge has been torn down, so maybe he was right when he said you can't go home.

...and save Clifton Forge!

Clifton Forge has a lot going for it, such as the mountains with their hunting, fishing, swimming, and camping opportunities. There still is clean air and lots of wildlife (but little after 9 pm). Major commercial activities are present or near enough to be convenient. Shoot, they've even had running water and indoor toilets for years. Of course, the best and biggest resource is the people, who actually are THE reason for coming home.

. . . . .

But "times is hard", and the City wanted to ensure its own survival by giving up its Charter! Maybe it's time for you to move back home. Can you bring a business with you?

Contact the Association:

Email them!

or SnailMail them!

Clifton Forge High School Alumni Association
P.O. Box 118
Clifton Forge, VA 24422

Visit

to find your friends!

At this commercial site, you may register yourself for Members to find you; or you may become a Member so that you may contact those who have registered. This is a great way to find your friends, if everyone participates! "We went to different schools together."