With the Compact Day luncheon of the Virginia Mayflower Society just 12 days away, it got me thinking about another drive south from our northern Virginia location and in particular about the last Mayflower Society meeting in May at Natural Bridge, Virginia.
Natural Bridge has long been considered one of the natural wonders of Virginia and America. Thomas Jefferson was so impressed by it that in 1774 he actually bought 157 acres that included the bridge from King George -- this a mere two years before Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson built a log cabin on the site and it had one room for his visits and another as a guest room. Several famous Americans stayed at the cabin including; Henry Clay, Sam Houston, Martin Van Buren, John Marshall and James Monroe.
The bridge was the subject of paintings and of references in literature. Herman Melville described the surfacing whale Moby Dick as arching "like Virginia's Natural Bridge." Artists such as the famed Frederick Edwin Church painted the bridge. His Natural Bridge (1852) is shown below and can be compared with the photograph above taken recently.
If you ever have a chance to visit Natural Bridge, it is worth the trip. We look forward to the next time the Virginia Mayflower Society holds its May meeting there.
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Photograph of Natural Bridge by the author.
The painting, Natural Bridge, by Frederic Edwin Church (1852) is in the public domain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederic_Edwin_Church_-_The_Natural_Bridge,_Virginia.jpg
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Copyright 2013, John D. Tew
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I'll always remember how excited I was to see the Natural Bridge. It was a real treat. And, to think my photo looks just like yours. Thanks for another nice memory John.
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