Buffalo Gap is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Augusta County Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its count ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. Buffalo Gap is located approximately northwest of

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

History

Buffalo Gap experienced a boom when an

iron furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric p ...

was built there by the Buffalo Gap Furnace Company. A town of about 70 houses, a

railroad station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...

, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

, and several schools were built around the furnace in the coming years. In 1850, the Buffalo Gap

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

was founded about a mile west of the church's current location. The furnace was unsuccessful, leaving Buffalo Gap a ghost town. The town was taken over by the Buffalo Gap Development company, which aspired to make Buffalo Gap a thriving town again. In 2004, the community was described as a "bedroom community" for nearby Staunton, where people could enjoy country life, but not have to travel far to get to a city. As of 2004, the community had a population of "about 200 people".

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Virginia Unincorporated communities in Augusta County, Virginia Mountain passes of Virginia