Whiteforge Post Office

By Omer C. Addington

On October 23, 1884, George B. White made application to the Post Office Department for a post office to be established five miles east of Estillville (now Gate City) in Moccasin Valley.

In his application Mr. White was asked to give the following information as to location and direction.

The proposed post office will be situated in the County of Scott, State of Virginia on route no. 11334 (now Highway No. 71) being the route from Estillville to Nickelsville, on which the mail is carried two times per week.

The contractor is R. D. Hill. The next contractor was Dury S. Godsey who was also the postmaster at Big Branch, the nearest post office to the proposed one on the same route, a distance of four miles in a northeast direction. The name of the nearest post office on the same route on the other side in Estillville. Its distance is five miles in a southwest direction from the proposed post office. The name of the nearest post office not on the same route is Wayland, a distance of five miles in a northwest direction to the proposed post office.

The name of the most prominent river neatest the proposed post office is the Holston River. The proposed post office will be nine miles from said river, on the North side of it. The nearest creek is Big Moccasin Creek. The proposed post office will be one mile from said creek on the south side of it.

Mr. White was asked by the post office department to select a short name for the proposed post office, which, when written will not resemble the name of any other post office in the United States. The name chosen was Whiteforge. The name was taken from White’s Forge, the iron works on Big Moccasin Creek.

C. Martin, Postmaster at Estillville, certified on the 10th day of November, 1884, that he has examined the foregoing statement, and that it is "correct and true to the best of my knowledge and belief."

Whiteforge Post Office began operation on January 28, 1885.

George B. White was the first postmaster. He was appointed January 28, 1885.

Martin Godsey was the second postmaster. He was appointed March 12, 1895.

Mary L. White was the third and last postmistress. She was appointed May 23, 1905. Mrs. White served until January 14, 1907, when it discontinued and its mail sent to Snowflake.

The post office was located in the home of George B. White, now the home of Mr. And Mrs. John Meade. Mr. Meade is the grandson of George B. White and the great grandson of Dr. William B. White, the founder of the iron works at White’s Forge.