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33-662: Clifton Forge, Virginia first began organized baseball, hosting a, amateur/semi–professional team in 1890 under the leadership of brothers John, James, and George Mahaney. "The Cliftons" began play in 1890, with white only players and an emphasis on "gentlemanly" play and fan decorum. The Cliftons continued play into the early 1900s, with Covington, Virginia teams as a chief rival. The Cliftons encouraged "ladies" to attend games and were against recruiting players from outside of Clifton Forge, being resistant to play other town teams who recruited non–resident players. By 1907, Clifton Forge had numerous baseball teams of different levels and ages,

66-484: A 200 ft cascading waterfall into a gorge was referred to by Thomas Jefferson , for its scenic beauty in his Notes on Virginia, A plaque nearby refers to Indian War figure, Mad Ann Bailey, a frontier woman adept at shooting , riding & swearing . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.8 km ), of which 5.5 square miles (14.2 km )

99-450: A county, even though geographically they may be completely surrounded by one. An independent city in Virginia may serve as the county seat of an adjacent county, even though the city by definition is not part of that county. Some other Virginia municipalities, even though they may be more populous than some existing independent cities, are incorporated towns . These towns always form part of

132-566: A county. Incorporated towns have limited powers, varying by each charter. They typically share many aspects such as courts and public school divisions with the county they are within. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, there are two classes of city. The primary difference relates to the court system. A first-class city (e.g., Richmond) has its own District Court and also its own Circuit Court . A second-class city (e.g. Norton or Emporia) has its own District Courts, but not its own Circuit Court. As

165-646: A former Virginia League player, would manage the team, noting that Ervin is reported to be the smallest man to ever wear a professional baseball uniform. Minor league baseball began in Clifton Forge, Virginia in 1914. The Clifton Forge "Railroaders" became charter members of the four–team Class D level Virginia Mountain League . The Clifton Forge Railroaders were joined by the Charlottesville Tuckahoes , Covington Papermakers and Staunton/Harrisonburg Lunatics in

198-432: A household in the city was $ 30,325, and the median income for a family was $ 36,640. Males had a median income of $ 30,755 versus $ 20,316 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 16,758. About 10.7% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line , including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over. Covington's economy is dominated by Westrock , which has been operating in

231-460: A humid continental climate. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. The population of Covington has gradually declined since reaching its peak of 11,062 in 1960. The population decline has mainly resulted from losses of manufacturing jobs in

264-417: A second-class city, City of Fairfax shares a Circuit Court with Fairfax County , while Falls Church shares a Circuit Court with adjacent Arlington County. In Virginia, a District Court is not a court of record , so all cases are heard by a judge; all jury trials are heard in a Circuit Court. Three older Virginia counties, whose origins go back to the original eight shires of Virginia formed in 1634 in

297-519: A unified jurisdiction in which the county at least nominally exists to this day, whereas an independent city was legally separated from any county or merged with a county that simultaneously ceased to exist even in name. Of the 41 independent U.S. cities, 38 are in Virginia , whose state constitution makes them a special case. The three independent cities outside Virginia are Baltimore, Maryland ; St. Louis, Missouri ; and Carson City, Nevada . Baltimore

330-477: A voting place in 1839. In 1837, the railroad came, making Clifton Forge the major division point on the railroad. Clifton Forge, named after one of the iron furnaces, became an incorporated City in 1884. Cutbacks and the closing of the C&;O railroad shops in the late 1980s caused a drop in population for Clifton Forge. In July 2001, Clifton Forge reverted from a city to a town due to financial hardship. Falling Spring,

363-423: Is a city that is not in the territory of any county or counties and is considered a primary administrative division of its state. Independent cities are classified by the United States Census Bureau as " county equivalents " and may also have similar governmental powers to a consolidated city-county or a unitary authority . However, in the case of a consolidated city-county, a city and a county were merged into

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396-551: Is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km ) (3.6%) is water. The city lies along both sides of the Jackson River. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Covington has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Using the 32 degree isotherm, it's in the transition zone with "Dfa",

429-479: Is located beside the former Clifton Forge High School. Covington, Virginia Covington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia . As of the 2020 census , the population was 5,737, making it the second-least populous city in Virginia. It is surrounded by Alleghany County , of which it is also the county seat . Located at the confluence of Jackson River and Dunlap Creek , Covington

462-617: Is one of three cities (with Roanoke and Salem) in the Roanoke Regional Partnership . The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Covington with Alleghany county for statistical purposes. Covington is named in honor of General Leonard Covington , hero of the War of 1812 and friend of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. As a result of the industrial boom, the population of Covington grew from 704 in 1890 to 5,632 in 1920. Clifton Forge , originally known as Williamson, became

495-557: Is provided by the Covington Fire Department, which was chartered on March 4, 1902. The Covington Rescue Squad provides emergency medical services to the city of Covington. Both the fire department and rescue squad are volunteer organizations. The rescue squad was organized in 1933 and is the third oldest volunteer rescue squad in Virginia. Independent city (United States) In the United States, an independent city

528-514: Is served by two radio stations. WKEY simulcasts on 103.5 FM and 1340 AM, and WJVR broadcasts on 101.9 FM with simulcast on 1230 AM in nearby Clifton Forge . The area is serviced by Interstate 64 (east-west) and Route 220 (north-south) offering rail, truck and interstate access to the area. Rail passenger service is provided at the Amtrak station in Clifton Forge, VA 12 miles away. Fire protection

561-572: Is the home of the Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, while the Amtrak continues to serve passengers, with a rail stop at Clifton Forge. The C & O Railway Heritage Center is located in Clifton Forge, supported and operated by the Historical Society. In their first game, on opening day, May 14, 1914, Clifton Forge lost to Covington. Covington players Krieling and Ellis both hit home runs to lead

594-460: Is the most populous independent city in the United States. In the Commonwealth of Virginia , all municipalities incorporated as "cities" have been "independent cities", also called "free cities", since 1871, when a revised state constitution took effect following the American Civil War and the creation of West Virginia . Virginia's thirty-eight independent cities are not politically part of

627-955: Is within about a 45-minute drive. The Covington Lumberjacks , members of the Valley Baseball League , play at Casey Field in downtown Covington. The city previously hosted the Covington Astros and Covington Red Sox of the Appalachian League . The city has a council–manager government . The current mayor of Covington is Thomas H. Sibold Jr. Historically, Covington had one 8–12 high school (Covington High School), one 4–7 middle school called (Jeter-Watson), one pre-kindergarten through third grade elementary school (Edgemont Primary), one State Governors School (Jackson River Governor's School), one technical center for high-school students (Jackson River Technical Center), and one community college ( Dabney S. Lancaster ). In late 2020, it

660-627: The Colony of Virginia , have or had the word city in their names; politically, however, they are counties. The independent cities were formed to centralize trading and legal matters as the older system of merchant ships cruising from plantation to plantation was inefficient. The colonial capital of Williamsburg was created for this reason, being a port on the James River. Two of these counties are Charles City County and James City County , whose names originated with earlier "incorporations" created in 1619 by

693-507: The Virginia Company as Charles Cittie and James Cittie . Additionally, Elizabeth City County , which was originally part of the older Elizabeth Cittie , became extinct in 1952 when it was consolidated politically by mutual consent with the small City of Hampton, its county seat, and the Town of Phoebus . These merged entities became the current independent city of Hampton, Virginia , one of

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726-441: The 10 games. After winning a final doubleheader against Covington by scores of 5–4 and 5–3, a farewell reception and banquet was held for the Clifton Forge players. Clifton Forge, Virginia has not hosted another minor league franchise The name of the 1914 Clifton Forge Railroaders home minor league ballpark is not directly referenced. Both Linden Park and Memorial Park were in use in the era and are still in use today. Memorial Park

759-477: The 1914 league play. The league schedule began play on May 14, 1914. The Clifton Forge, Virginia use of the "Railroaders" moniker corresponds with local industry and history. Passenger rail first arrived in Clifton Forge in 1857. Clifton Forge was home to a major maintenance facility for steam locomotives serving the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), which once employed nearly 2,000 workers. Today, Clifton Forge

792-732: The Papermakers to a 7–6 win over the Railroaders with 1,500 fans were in attendance for the game held at Covington. In their only season of play, the Clifton Forge Railroaders placed third in the 1914 Virginia Mountain League in a shortened season. On July 25, 1914, the Railroaders had a record of 28–34 when the Virginia Mountain League permanently folded. Playing under managers Clarence Irwin, Harry Bailey, Edward Eschback and Buck Hooker , Clifton Forge finished 8.5 games behind

825-672: The area. One major loss of manufacturing jobs occurred after a fire at the Hercules plant in June 1980, causing $ 23 million in damage and worker layoffs. As of the census of 2000, there were 6,303 people, 2,835 households, and 1,740 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,111.3 people per square mile (429.1 people/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 84.1% White , 13.1% Black or African American , 0.4% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , 0.2% from other races , and 1.6% from two or more races. 0.6% of

858-673: The city since 1899. The facility employs about 1300 workers, mostly from Covington and Alleghany County. Its production includes bleached paper and paperboard for packaging, and is the second largest on the East Coast . Both Alleghany County, VA and Covington City are known for the low cost of their housing markets and close proximity to The Homestead in Bath County (VA) , Lexington (VA) , The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs (WV) , Lewisburg (WV) , and Roanoke (VA) , each of which

891-476: The first place Covington Papermakers in the final standings. Covington was in first place with a 37–26 record, followed by the second place Charlottesville Tuckahoes (31–30) in the final standings of the shortened season. Third place Clifton Forge was followed by the Staunton / Harrisonburg Lunatics (26–32) in the 1914 league standings. The Virginia Mountain League was reported to have folded due to poor attendance and

924-457: The most prominent being the C & O Railway juniors team. At a meeting in Lynchburg, Virginia on March 3, 1914, discussions began for the formulation of a six–team Class D level baseball league in the Virginia region. Teams were tentatively slated to be based in Lynchburg, Danville, Charlottesville, Clifton Forge, Staunton and Covington, with a salary limit of $ 800 (per team) monthly. Lynchburg,

957-523: The onset of World War I amid "rumors of fixed games." Shortly after the Virginia Mountain League folded, there was an unsuccessful attempt, headed by Buck Hooker, in August, 1914 to revive the league and the teams. However, following the collapse of the league, the Covington and Clifton Forge teams elected to play a 10–game championship series. The Railroaders captured the unofficial league “title,” winning 7 of

990-487: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 3,195 housing units at an average density of 563.3 units per square mile (217.5 units/km ). There were 2,835 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. Of all households 34.0% were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who

1023-449: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for

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1056-497: Was announced that Alleghany County Public Schools and Covington City Public Schools would merge due to declining attendance. The new school system is known as Alleghany Highlands Public Schools and the two high schools were merged to create a new Alleghany High School that took on Covington's Cougar nickname beginning in 2023. Covington High School has since been converted into a new middle school. The local newspapers of record are The Virginian Review and The Recorder . Covington

1089-476: Was hesitant to commit because of a previous $ 700 lien on its territory, a result of a previous team in the Virginia League. The league was then formed at a March 12, 1914 meeting, without Danville and Lynchburg franchises. B.F. Donovan, of Clifton Forge, was elected league president. D. R. Ellis, of Covington, was elected as vice-president. On April 6, 1914, Clifton Forge announced that Clarence “Brownie” Erwin,

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