Source: Tom Wulf, A Railroad Runs Through It - The Unique History of a Virginia Train Town
The town of Ashland was named after the estate owned by Henry Clay in Kentucky. Clay played a major role in getting the Compromise of 1850 approved before he died in 1852. When the town was incorporated on February 19, 1858, residents chose to honor the "Great Compromiser" who had been born in Hanover County.1