Natural Bridge State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in the city of North Adams in the northwestern part of the state. The park's chief feature, for which it is named, is the only natural white marble arch/bridge in North America. Visitors can also view the remains of an abandoned marble quarry.HistoryThe bedrock marble from which the natural bridge was created is estimated to be some 550 million years old. Water from glacial runoff began carving the arch after the last Ice Age, 13,000 years ago.The site of a marble quarry from 1810 to 1947 and a privately owned tourist attraction from 1950 to 1983, the site became a state park in 1985. The arch and associated quarry have long attracted attention from hikers, including author Nathaniel Hawthorne who visited in 1838.Hudson BrookThe Mohawk Indians that lived, hunted, and fished in the area possibly saw no gain in naming the small brook, but when an explorer for the Massachusetts fort stumbled upon the many caves and rock formations he took it upon himself to aptly name Hudson Brook; forever paying homage to himself. Lieutenant Seth Hudson was stationed at Fort Massachusetts in 1759 and discovered what is today known as Hudson Brook around 1760 when he relocated out to the Western Massachusetts/Vermont border. Hudson was later one of the founders of the southern Vermont town of Pownal.Hudson Brook is responsible for many of the marble formations that can be seen at the Natural Bridge. The brook cascades down a marble maze and eventually makes its way through a cave known as Hudson Cave. This natural wonder was one of several locations in the Berkshires noted in the journal of Nathaniel Hawthorn which was eventually published under the title The American Note-books.
"Natural Bridge State Park is home to the only natural white marble arch in North America. According to geologists, the park's namesake natural bridge, made of 550 million year-old bedrock marble, was carved into its iconic arch by the forces of glacial melt water over 13,000 years ago. Today, the bridge spans the bubbling Hudson Brook as it twists and tumbles through a steep 60-foot gorge - one of the best demonstrations of glacial erosion in New England."
