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Lovers Leap - Patrick County Virginia

By
Real Estate Agent with Commonwealth LLC Realtors

One of the most photographed areas of Patrick County! Basically there is 100's of local stories about how this place got its name.  Lovers Leap.  Just think of the name and you can come up with a story on your own.  Being curious, I went back and searched and found the original story provided in much of the area tourism guides and publications.  It provides a gorgeous backdrop for stunning photos and besides Mabry Mill, it is also one of the most photographed spots in Patrick County.  On any give day you will see dozens of vehicles parked along the highway trying to see as far as their eyes will let them. 

Below is what is believed to be the true story on how this place got its name.  (Information From Patrick County VA Tourism Office)

Lover's Leap is one of several spectacular views along your journey through Patrick County. In the 1600's, the Indians inhabited the Blue Ridge Mountains. White settlers started arriving and began clearing land to farm. Conflict arose between the Indians and the settlers. Legend has it that the son of a settler saw the twinkle in the eyes of the Chief's daughter, Morning Flower, and was immediately love-struck. The couple began to meet secretly and their love continued to grow. The young man and Indian maiden were threatened and shunned. With the beautiful rock and wildflowers as their backdrop, they jumped into the wild blue yonder ensuring they would be together forever. As you gaze out at Lover's Leap, you can still see the evidence of their love in the beautiful view and hear them whisper in the cool evening breezes.

Anonymous
Caponer
What an interesting story, and it is so much alike other stories told in other places where there is a "Lovers Leap". The writer was born near to such a place, and as a youth would sit on the promentory and muse over the fate of the luckless couple. Later when he moved to Berkeley Springs in Morgan County, there was another "Lovers Leap" and it did not take much imagination to see the couple leap to their deaths, only this time it would be toward the Potomac River. At the foot of the cliff there was a bonteous spring from which water gushed cold and refreshing into the river, only it was said on days of particular sadness, like the day President Kennedy was murdered, that spring ran red for an hour. When there are so many stories like this, one tends to believe they are true, and wonders what would have happened to those lovers if their lives had been spared.
May 26, 2007 02:48 AM
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