There is so much to be proud of in Clifton Heights. Clifton’s history dates back 250 years! Our association’s logo was inspired from a photograph postcard generously leant to us from Chief of Police Walt Senkow. The scene is of the intersection of Baltimore Pike and Springfield Road, circa 1910.

Downtown Clifton served everyone. It was the place where you bought groceries, went to get an ice cream cone, saw the doctor, boarded a trolley, got your prescription filled, viewed a parade, attended high school, searched for your favorite 45, watched a movie, found your sewing supplies, bumped into a neighbor, picked up a newspaper….the list goes on and on. The history is crucial to what Clifton Heights is today. It’s a mirror. It tells you who you are, how you got here, where you want to go.

The town was built on “mills”, many, many mills…grist, paper, leather, saw, oil, cotton and wool just to name a few. In 1900 there were at least twelve mills operating and thriving in Clifton Heights. Darby Creek supplied the power and the first avenue of transportation. This industry shaped the community. Clifton Heights survived the depression because of the mills. The mills not only saved the town from the depression but also brought workers who stayed, married and raised their families. The end result was a community with enough elasticity to accommodate a diversity of peoples and businesses.

This history deserves to be remembered and preserved. The downtown reflects its rich past. There is no other like it. A vibrant, healthy future requires an understanding and appreciation of its past. Without preserving and presenting this history to the community and actively seeking ways of keeping this history for the future, we suffer a kind of “forgotten community”.

Many of the photographs that you see in our web site are reminders of our rich history.

We would like to thank Walt Senkow, Dom Longhi and Keith Lockhart for generously sharing their photos and memories with us. Orval H. Austin, Clifton Heights, In History And Legend, 1968, was referenced for history.