The Story
Clifton, Virginia is a charming town surrounded by wooded roads. Let's go into it's history!
The area was once part of the Dogue tribe's hunting grounds. They lived in villages along the Potomac and Occoquan rivers.
Europeans settled the area in the early 18th century after Scottish merchants developed the Port of Dumfries.
During the Civil War, the United States Military built the Devereux railroad station in Clifton to supply the Union Army. It was named after the railroad's superintendent.
Later in the war, the entire railroad outside Washington was abandoned until Major General George Meade returned after his successful Gettysburg Campaign.
William E. Beckwith's plantation included the land now incorporated as Clifton. He gave his land south of the railroad to his former slaves, some of whom were his children. A train depot was constructed on their land called Clifton Station. It was likely named after Clifton Springs, New York.
Eventually, the lots near the railroad were broken up. The village grew in the late 1800s when some homes and businesses were constructed.
