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 (1868-1946). Natural Bridge Station is located along the James River and Virginia State Route 130, 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. 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
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 current term expires 12/31/2023, 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. 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.
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 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 Hwy. between Sherwood Ln. and Virginia Manor Ln. 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
Doggy Stylez Dog Grooming
Double L Landscaping
Dreamson Enterprises, Inc.
FrontLine WoodWorks
[http://www.campnbr.com 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.
Tpee's, LLC General Store & Deli (formerly Arnolds Valley Trading Post)
Tri-County Autoglass
Villa Views
Virginia Mountain Mortgage
Vivek Pan Shop
[http://www.wildernesscanoecompany.com 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
[http://naturalbridgestatepark.org/miscellaneous/devils-marbleyard/ 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:
Appalachian Trail
Blue Ridge Parkway
Hoop Pole Gap
Hopper Ridge
James River Face Wilderness
James River Gorge
Petite's Gap Trail
Snakeden Ridge
Thunder Ridge North Face Wilderness
Thunder Ridge Trail
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
Media
[http://www.thenews-gazette.com 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: JOURNEY: A Memoir in Photos, Beautiful Things That Caught My Eye, Soulful Hymns for our Christian Hearts). Local poet, Martha Watkins, who's now deceased, started the column. [http://rockbridgeadvocate.com The Rockbridge Advocate] is another media print source for the area.
Local television stations, [http://www.wdbj7.com WDBJ7] (local reporter Bruce Young), [http://www.wsls.com WSLS10], and [http://www.wset.com 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 [http://rockbridgereport.wlu.edu The Rockbridge Report].
Local radio coverage for this area is provided by [http://3wzfm.com/ Classic 96.7 3WZ] and WREL AM 1450 in Lexington, Virginia.
Online media coverage for the area is provided by [http://maisestudio.com/rock/ Rockbridge Forum], and [http://www.eyeonvirginia.com EyeOnVirginia].
