The rural small, sleepy village of Low Moor between Covington and Clifton Forge in Alleghany County is featured in the November/December issie of "Cooperative Living" magazine.

The magazine is published by the Virginia, Maryland and Delware Association of Electric Cooperatives in Glen Allen 10 times each year. The magazine's Low Moor article is the last of 10 in the "Down Home Series" for 2009 which has featured small towns in Virginia served by electric co-ops.

The Low Moor article is written by contributing writer Deborah R. Huso who resides at Hightown in Highland County and includes 11 color photographs on four pages of the magazine. In the text materials, nine Alleghany County residents are quoted.

Low Moor owes its existence to the production of iron which was a thriving industry in Virginia during the 19th century and for the first two decades of the 20th century. The Low Moor Iron Company was chartered in 1873 to process iron ore and at the height of production employed 1600 people.

Workers purchased groceries and dry goods at the company store after being paid in scrip. Today the building that housed the company store is the Company Store and Iron Company Restaurant owned and operated by Louise Belmont. Granny Averill operated Averill's Store and restaurant in the building which was constructed in 1875.

For this article Huso interviewed Louise Belmont, Shelly Dudley, Dave Kleppinger, Margaret Carter, Frank Webb, Steve Bennett and David Woods.

Copies of the magazine are mailed to electric cooperative customers throughout Virginia. Copies are available for the public to view at the Charles P. Jones Memorial Library and the Bath County Public Library in Warm Springs.

Source: Virginia Review, Saturday, December 19, 2009.