Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Unincorporated community
The James River is framed by crossing railway lines at Natural Bridge Station.
The James River is framed by crossing railway lines at Natural Bridge Station.
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee) is located in Virginia
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee) is located in the United States
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Natural Bridge Station, Virginia (Greenlee)
Coordinates: 37°37′15″N 79°30′21″W / 37.62083°N 79.50583°W / 37.62083; -79.50583
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 code540
GNIS feature ID1493338[1]

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 Sherwood and Greenlee, the community 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 population as of 2020 was 1,540.

Communities

There are several small neighborhoods in Natural Bridge Station including:

  • Buck Hill
  • Cameron Street
  • Clark Town
  • Flint Town
  • Forest Oaks
  • Gilmore's Mill
  • Greenlee (Bank Hill/Lloyd Tolley/Trackside/Wert Faulkner)
  • Stoner Hollow

as well as the entirety of the Arnolds Valley community which includes:

  • Back Run (Colen Hollow/Drummond Hill/Shop Hill)
  • Cave Mountain
  • Cedar Bottom (Johnson's Mobile Home Park/Tolley Hill)
  • Elk Creek
  • Glenwood
  • Hopper Creek
  • James River
  • Manor View
  • Ore Bank
  • Petites Gap
  • Tomlin's Mobile Home Park
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 Virginia Senate, and Virginia's 6th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives.

Local law enforcement for Natural Bridge Station is administered by the Rockbridge County Sheriff's Department located in Lexington. Some areas of Natural Bridge Station along the Blue Ridge Parkway are patrolled by the National Park Service. Natural Bridge Station is part of the Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District. The area's local Ranger Station is located on Ranger Lane just off Wert Faulkner Hwy.

Schools

Natural Bridge Elementary School is located within the "downtown" zone of the community and serves most of southern Rockbridge County. The community's middle and high school students are bussed to Maury River Middle School and Rockbridge County High School in Lexington. The Bridge Christian Academy is a private school within the area.

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 and infrastructure

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

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

Some other businesses (corporate, family, small, private or otherwise) in the area include:

  • AMS Trucking
  • B&D Variety Store
  • Bank of Botetourt
  • Bear & Unicorn Media
  • C&S Disposal
  • Campbell and Sons Lawn Service
  • Cooper's Stump Grinding, Inc.
  • Doggy Stylez Dog Grooming
  • Double L Landscaping
  • Dreamson Enterprises, Inc.
  • FrontLine WoodWorks
  • Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge
  • Nailogic
  • Natural Bridge Animal Hospital
  • Natural Bridge Country Store & Café
  • Natural Bridge General Store & NattyB Cafe
  • Natural Bridge Heating & Air
  • Natural Bridge Station Glass & Gifts
  • Natural Bridge Station Recycling Center
  • Pioneer Plumbing
  • R & S Storage
  • Raynal Studios, Inc.
  • Seaman & Sons Roofing
  • Shayan Electronics
  • Thunder BRidge Campground, LLC. (formerly Natural Bridge Juvenile Correctional Facility)"
  • Tpee's, LLC General Store & Deli (formerly Arnolds Valley Trading Post)"
  • Tri-County Autoglass
  • Villa Views
  • Virginia Mountain Mortgage
  • Vivek Pan Shop
  • Wilderness Canoe Company & Campground

Religion

Natural Bridge Station's religious centers and places of various worship include:

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

Attractions

Within Natural Bridge Station there are several tourist attractions including:

  • Balcony Falls Trailhead
  • Cave Mountain Lake Recreation Area & Family Camp
  • Devil's Marble Yard
  • Elk Cliff(Private, permission required for access)
  • Elk Creek Delta(Private, permission required for access)
  • Elk Creek's East Fork
  • Four Way Trail Crossroads
  • Glenwood Furnace Historic Landmark
  • Glenwood Horse Trail
  • Gunter Ridge Trailhead
  • Hellgate Trailhead
  • Hickory Stand
  • Hopper Creek Group Campground
  • Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge
  • Locher Tract
  • Parker's Gap Mountain Trail
  • Sawmill Hollow Swamp
  • Smith Tract Campground
  • Straw Pond (Arnolds Valley Pool)
  • Sulphur Spring Hollow
  • Tank Hollow
  • Thunder BRidge Campground
  • Wildcat Mountain Trail
  • Wilderness Canoe Company & Campground

The area also has many public 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(along Petite's Gap Rd).

The area's waterways include:

  • Back Run Stream
  • Belfast Creek
  • Big Hellgate Creek
  • Cave Mountain Lake
  • Cedar Creek, East End
  • Elk Creek
  • Hopper Creek
  • Hunting Spring
  • James River
  • Little Hellgate Creek
  • Manor View Lake(Private, permission required for access)
  • Marble Spring
  • Sawmill Branch
  • Sawmill Hollow Swamp
  • Sulphur Spring
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 writer/photographer Karyn B. Gardner (published works include: JOURNEY: A Memoir in Photos, Beautiful Things That Caught My Eye). Local published 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, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ↑ United States Postal Service (2012). "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved February 15, 2012.
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