Ceremony held at Natural Bridge marking 250th anniversary of purchase

ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) held a ceremony today marking the 250th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Natural Bridge, an awe-inspiring natural rock formation in Rockbridge County.

On July 5, crowds gathered underneath of the 215-foot tall limestone “bridge” that stretches over Cedar Creek in the Shenandoah Valley to celebrate this natural wonder.

Just over a year ago, on June 15, 2023, ownership of the Natural Bridge was transferred to the Virginia State Park System, allowing the landmark to be classified as a Virginia State Park.

Before that, the bridge and the surrounding 1,530 acres of land belonged to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit organization that protects public land. At that time, the DCR coordinated this transfer of ownership.

To learn more about the Natural Bridge, consider booking a Lantern Tour .

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