Once Enslaved, He Became Natural Bridge's First Caretaker

Once Enslaved, He Became Natural Bridge's First Caretaker. . , Patrick Henry was born into slavery in 1787 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He worked hard to purchase his own freedom, which he accomplished in 1811. He moved to nearby Lexington to be with family, and in 1816 purchased his wife Louisa's freedom as well. Following a recommendation from a friend, Thomas Jefferson rented the newlyweds the area around the Natural Bridge in 1817., Henry farmed the land and built a log cabin just north of the Bridge, on the other side of the cliffs in front of you. He kept a room for guests, including Jefferson himself on his occasional visits., As caretaker of the property he provided many services you would expect of park rangers today. He was responsible for protecting the Bridge and surrounding land, and he acted as a guide to the travelers who visited it. Henry guided not just Jefferson, but Chief Justice John Marshall, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Henry Clay, Sam Houston, and other famous early Americans., Born in bondage, he held the key to one of the natural wonders of the world. A true trailbalzer, his stewardship of the Bridge helped make it the site it is today., (Sidebar):, "There was only one steep, difficult path to get down the hill, and after we got there we found that a dam had been made which together with the rise of the water prevented us entirely from getting under the bridge... if it had not been for the exertions of Patrick Henry who worked for nearly an hour to contrive us a way by which we might get along, which he did by laying planks and logs from one point of the rock to another with great difficulty we succeeded, and then the scene was beyond anything you can possibly imagine..." , -Cornelia J. Randolph, granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson, 1817, (Caption):, The 1817 letter where Thomas Jefferson agreed to lease the land to Patrick Henry.