"Natural Bridge" by Paul McGehee. Easily one of the most dramatic and strikingly beautiful scenes in America, Virginia's Natural Bridge is also rich in history. Located in Rockbridge County, the natural arch cut through limestone over the centuries by Cedar Creek was a sacred site to the Monacan Indians. Years later in 1750, a young George Washington surveyed the area, and carved his initials "G.W." into the stone wall of the bridge...it is still visible today. In 1774, the future principal author of the Declaration of Independence had purchased 157 acres of land from King George III for the whopping sum of 20 shillings. The land deal included the Natural Bridge. He built a log cabin retreat there, and referred to the rock formation in his writings as "the most sublime of nature's works". Jefferson himself surveyed the area in 1802, during the time he was our third President. Over the years Jefferson hosted many famous guests at his Natural Bridge retreat, including future Presidents James Monroe and Martin Van Buren. Throughout the 19th century, Natural Bridge was one of the major tourist attractions of the new world. Writer Herman Melville even referenced it in "Moby Dick" in a passage describing the giant whale reading, "but soon the fore part of him slowly rose from the water; for an instant his whole marbleized body formed a high arch, like Virginia's Natural Bridge". More recently, the site was electrically lit going back to 1927 for dramatic evening views, attracting still more tourism. Currently it is a park where presentations of the Biblical story of Genesis are dramatized. The deed to Natural Bridge was transferred to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2014, and there are plans for the area to soon become a state park. "Natural Bridge" is faithfully reproduced from McGehee's beautiful color pencil original as a hand-signed limited edition of only 500 archival quality prints. Image size 13 1/4" x 11".