The Cliffside Historical Society

On February, 2006, we were chartered as a non-profit corporation by the state of North Carolina. Our purpose is to collect and preserve the history, memories and lore of Cliffside, North Carolina, in the form of documents, articles, photographs and written or recorded memoirs. This Web site is a part of that effort.

What We Do

Click first image to start the show.

What do societies do,? We can't speak for other societies, which likely have many more resources and opportunities than ours. But we think our track record is pretty good. In case you aren't aware of some of the many things we do and have done, with the help of our members' and others' contributions, we've devised this little slide show.

To show visitors what the town looked like and where things were, we designed and mounted beside the clock tower this display of the 1942 town map with photos. [A photo of men in front of the display, and a closeup of the map itself.]

We've established a program of honoring selected citizens for their contributions to Cliffside's legacy, or for their long service to the community. [Photos of a plaque presented to Myrtle Green Mashburn, and the actual presentation by Phillip White.]

They find a need and fill it. It came to our attention that the roadside marker (in West Henrietta) celebrating the textile tycoons S. B. Tanner and R. R. Haynes had been badly damaged by some careless motorist. Our society had it restored to better-than-original condition and remounted it along the roadway. [Two photos, then and now, of the marker.]

Each quarter (more or less) we provide our members with a six-page newsletter of fresh material about Cliffside, then and now. [A montage of eight issues of the newsletter.]

They collect things, such as photographs. We've gathered and digitized over 5,000 photos from Cliffside's past. [A collage of old, black and white photos.]

To make it clear what an important historical spot it is, we designed and installed this plaque on the clock tower. [Photo of the plaque.]

They publish books. We've written and published two original books on Cliffside (so far), and republished the 1954 R.R. Haynes biography. Photos of three books, "Faces & Places of Old Cliffside," "Life on the Sunny Slopes of Old Cliffside," and "Raleigh Rutherford Haynes."

They take care of things. We're the caretakers of the town clock. Using donations from dozens of friends of Cliffside, we had it restored. If it should break, we see that it's fixed.

The county owns the clock but does little to maintain it. Its four faces needed a new look. We replaced the old, dingy smoked glass with beautiful Italian milk glass, and had the ironwork of the dial frames refurbished and repainted.

The clock tower had begun looking rundown and shabby. We hired a crew to pressure wash it, seal the brick and paint all the woodwork. Now it sparkles. [Photos: Men on a power lift pressure washing the brick on one side of the tower. And a beautiful shot of the sparkling tower and clock.]

e instituted an annual event called "The Gathering," giving members and others an opportunity to meet and recharge their memories of old Cliffside. Each program highlights some aspect of the town and its people. [A montage of photos taken at several Gatherings.]

Societies prevent the history of a town or locale from becoming forgotten and lost to time. Our members have spent thousands of man-hours researching old records and newspapers that covered the century of Cliffside.

Our society is unique in that its website is the largest, most comprehensive in the nation for a town of any size. It continues to grow as we acquire new material. [Photo: Collage of screens used in various sections of the web site.]

At the tower site stands a display of names of Cliffside's World War Two veterans. It was suffering the ravages of time and weather. We redesigned the facing, painted the woodwork and replaced the glass. [Photo: Workmen hoisting into place a heavy plate of glass on the display.]

At the tower site there are poles with a state and national flag. When either flag become faded or tattered, we purchase and replace it with a new one. [A beautiful photo of the clock tower framed between a North Carolina state flag and the U. S. stars and stripes.

What do historical societies do? Whatever they do, it requires the support of people like you. Whether you are already a member of our society or a casual visitor who enjoys this site, can we count on you to join or renew your membership, and/or make a donation to help us do more for Cliffside? You could give now and/or include us in your will, trust, or other life income plan. Please, think about it. Join-Donate.