"Iron-Gate Alleghany County Virginia", Hoen & Company

This rare plan provides a detailed view of the town of Iron Gate in western Virginia, known as the "Gateway to the Alleghany Highlands." It was published in 1889, the year that the town was incorporated. Alleghany County grew significantly in the 1880s as iron mines opened throughout the county. The Alleghany Iron and Ore Company established a blast furnace in Iron Gate, putting the town in the center of the boom. A block of descriptive text above the plan's title describes the town's location as "one of the healthiest and most beautiful in the South" and touts its plentiful resources. The plan shows the streets in grid form, with Prospect and Clifton parks identified. Manufacturing sites, the rolling mill, steel and stove works, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and the Office of Iron Gate Land and Improvement Co. are located as well. Jackson River, a major tributary to the James, flows along the eastern edge of town. The sheet features two inset map, one at top left depicting a 300-mile radius around Iron Gate, and another at bottom describing a 25-mile radius around the town. A small view to the right of the title illustrates the gorge. A compass rose orients the north to the right. Surveyed by Dunlap and Kennaday. Printed by A. Hoen & Co. in Richmond, VA.

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Condition: B

Issued folding and now flattened and backed in archival tissue, with several small tears and fold separations closed on verso. There are light dampstains and soiling.