Natural Bridge Station, Virginia

Natural Bridge Station is an unincorporated community in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States, named for both its proximity to Natural Bridge and formerly having a train depot along the Norfolk & Western rail line. Formerly known as Greenlee, and prior to that, Sherwood, it was the home of former Washington State Senator and United States Ambassador to Peru, Miles Poindexter. Natural Bridge Station is located along the James River and Virginia State Route 130, 3.2 miles (5.1 km) west of Glasgow. Natural Bridge Station is made up mostly of the southeastern corner of Rockbridge County encompassing all of the community of Arnolds Valley (named for the area's first settler, Stephen Arnold) and partially covering several other communities, with its southeastern border running along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Natural Bridge Station has a post office with ZIP code 24579.[2] The current population is 1,540.

Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Unincorporated community
The James River is framed by crossing railway lines at Natural Bridge Station.
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Coordinates: 37°37′15″N 79°30′21″W
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyRockbridge
Rockbridge Board of Supervisors Current TermJanuary 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023
Government
 • TypeCounty District (Natural Bridge, Rockbridge County)
 • District SupervisorDavid B. McDaniel
Area
 • Total33.1 sq mi (86 km2)
 • Land32.7 sq mi (85 km2)
 • Water0.4 sq mi (1 km2)
Elevation
764 ft (233 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,540
 • Density47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
24579
Area code(s)540
GNIS feature ID1493338[1]

Communities

There are several small neighborhoods in Natural Bridge Station including:

  • Greenlee (Trackside/Bank Hill/Lloyd Tolley)
  • Gilmore's Mill
  • Buck Hill
  • Stoner Hollow
  • Flint Town
  • Clark Town
  • Forest Oaks
  • Arnolds Valley

which includes

  • Elk Creek
  • James River
  • Manor View
  • Tomlin's Mobile Home Park
  • Ore Bank
  • Cedar Bottom (Johnson's Mobile Home Park/Tolley Hill)
  • Petites Gap
  • Hopper Creek
  • Back Run (Colen Hollow/Drummond Hill/Shop Hill)
  • Cave Mountain
Arnolds Valley, panoramic view
Southern Arnold Valley overlook at Thunder Ridge
Switchback on Petite's Gap Road

Government

Natural Bridge Station is governed within the Natural Bridge District of the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors, the 24th district of the Virginia House of Delegates, the 25th district of the Senate of Virginia, and Virginia's 6th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives.

The current District Supervisor for the Natural Bridge District is David B. McDaniel whose term expires 12/31/2023,[3] the current House Delegate representing this area is Ronnie R. Campbell(R), the current State Senator representing this area is Creigh Deeds(D), and the current Congressional Representative for this area is Ben Cline(R).

Local law enforcement for Natural Bridge Station is administered by the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Department located in Lexington, Virginia. Some areas of Natural Bridge Station along the Blue Ridge Parkway are patrolled by the National Park Service.

The Magisterial District is Natural Bridge. The Magisterial Precinct is Natural Bridge Station. The current Polling Place for voting is located at Natural Bridge Christian Fellowship.

Schools

Natural Bridge Elementary School is located within the "downtown" zone of Natural Bridge Station and serves most of southern Rockbridge County. The community's middle school and high school students are bussed to nearby Lexington to Maury River Middle School and Rockbridge County High School respectively.

The Stonebridge Community Center and the Stonebridge Community Church now occupy the main building and surrounding facilities that were once Natural Bridge High School, which closed after the graduation of its Class of 1990. The main building was sold by Sayre Enterprises to Virginia Tech in 2020.

Business & Infrastructure

The main business corridor in Natural Bridge Station is located within the "downtown" zone along Wert Faulkner Hwy. between Sherwood Ln. and Virginia Manor Ln. There are several factories in the area including:

  • Des Champs
  • Byers
  • Base X
  • EDM
  • Heatex America
  • FEI

Some other businesses in the area include:

  • C&S Disposal
  • Bank of Botetourt
  • Natural Bridge Country Store & Café
  • Natural Bridge Heating & Air
  • R & S Storage
  • AMS Trucking
  • Tpee's LLC General Store & Deli
  • Raynal Studios, Inc.
  • B&D Variety Store
  • Double L Landscaping
  • J&K Gardner Art
  • Arnolds Valley Gift Shop
  • Natural Bridge General Store & NattyB Cafe
  • FrontLine WoodWorks
  • Natural Bridge Station Glass & Gifts
  • Seaman & Sons Roofing
  • Pioneer Plumbing
  • Wilderness Canoe Company & Campground
  • Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort
  • Alpine Farms
  • Shayan Electronics
  • Vivek Pan Shop

Religion

Natural Bridge Station's religious centers include:

  • Arnolds Valley Baptist Church
  • Beth Horon United Methodist Church
  • Faith Baptist Church
  • First Baptist Church
  • Glenwood Holiness Church
  • Natural Bridge Christian Fellowship
  • Stonebridge Community Church

Attractions

Within Natural Bridge Station there are several tourist attractions including:

  • Cave Mountain Lake Recreation Area & Family Camp
  • Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort
  • Devil's Marble Yard
  • Straw Pond (Arnolds Valley Pool)
  • Hopper Creek Group Campground
  • Glenwood Furnace Historic Landmark
  • Glenwood Horse Trail
  • Hellgate Trailhead
  • Locher Tract
  • Balcony Falls Trailhead
  • Wildcat Mountain Trail
  • Parker's Gap Mountain Trail
  • Gunter Ridge Trailhead
  • Sawmill Hollow
  • Elk Creek's East Fork
  • Elk Cliff(Private)
  • Elk Creek Delta(Private)
  • Tank Hollow
  • Four Way Trail Crossroads
  • Smith Tract Campground
  • Sulphur Spring Hollow
  • Hickory Stand

The area also has many access points to the following:

As well as fishing access, swimming access, and boat/canoe/innertube launch/exit sites along the James River and fishing & swimming access along Elk Creek's East Fork.

The area's waterways include:

  • James River
  • Cave Mountain Lake
  • Sawmill Hollow Lake
  • Manor View Lake(Private)
  • Elk Creek
  • Hopper Creek
  • Big Hellgate Creek
  • Little Hellgate Creek
  • Belfast Creek
  • Cedar Creek, East End
  • Sulphur Spring
  • Marble Spring
  • Hunting Spring
  • Sawmill Branch
  • Back Run
Bottom view, looking up over Devil's Marble Yard in Natural Bridge Station.
View downstream over James River near Glasgow Landing
Arnold Valley overlook at Thunder Ridge at sunset

Media

The News Gazette in Lexington, Virginia covers newspaper stories for this area. The Arnolds Valley Community Column, which covers the entire Natural Bridge Station area, published in The News-Gazette is written by local author/photographer Karyn B. Gardner(JOURNEY: A Memoir in Photos, Beautiful Things). Local poet, Martha Watkins, who's now deceased, started the column. The Rockbridge Advocate is another media print source for the area.

Local television stations, WDBJ7 (local reporter Bruce Young), WSLS10, and WSET13 (all three covering the greater Roanoke/Lynchburg area) cover the Natural Bridge Station community, as well as a weekly broadcast on local government access channels from Washington and Lee University journalism students called The Rockbridge Report.

Local radio coverage for this area is provided by Classic 96.7 3WZ and WREL AM 1450 in Lexington, Virginia.

Online media coverage for the area is provided by Rockbridge Forum, and EyeOnVirginia.

References
  1. "Natural Bridge Station". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. United States Postal Service (2012). "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  3. Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors (2020). "ROCKBRIDGE Board of Supervisors - Rockbridge County, Virginia". Retrieved 2020-01-13.


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