Ivanhoe – Settled before the Revolutionary War, an iron ore furnace was built in Ivanhoe in 1886, growing the town to support an opera house and several hotels. Birthplace of the eccentric minister and Circuit Rider Robert Sheffey, he returned years later only to put a curse on his hometown. Seeing people in the town engaging in unrighteous behavior, he predicted that Ivanhoe would sink into the earth. Perhaps due to the curse, life in Ivanhoe has been hard for its residents. National Carbide was in operation in Ivanhoe from 1917 – 1966, and New Jersey Zinc Company mined there until 1981. As jobs disappeared, the Ivanhoe Civic League was formed by the townspeople to keep the town alive. As a result, this town is known as “the little community that wouldn’t quit.” There is a 670-foot trestle and a 193-foot tunnel at Ivanhoe. 

Cripple Creek flows into the New River between Austinville and Ivanhoe. A branch line was built along Cripple Creek to the furnaces at Raven Cliff and Speedwell.