The Bluegrass State boasts some of the most spectacular natural arches and bridges in the country, each offering a unique and equally wondrous experience. Given our state's impressive arch resume, it should come of no surprise that the Bluegrass is home to a record-breaking natural bridge. The largest freestanding arch east of the Mississippi River is in Kentucky, and it's historically significant and hauntingly beautiful.
Mantle Rock is one of the most beautiful, superlative, and sublime places in Kentucky, but it is also fraught with historic turmoil and tension.
Mantle Rock Preserve, a 367-acre plot with 2.75 miles of trails, is located along the notorious and devastating Trail of Tears.
At this Kentucky preserve, you can step on the same ground that the Cherokee once did in the 1800s as they were forced to travel West to Oklahoma.
During the harsh winter of 1838-39, approximately 1,766 Cherokee from the Peter Hildebrand Detachment spent about two weeks in the Mantle Rock area of Kentucky, waiting for the Ohio River to thaw and become passable.
Seeking comfort and accommodations from the land, in a fortuitous stroke of luck, the Cherokee discovered Mantle Rock, a 30-foot high natural sandstone bridge spanning 188 feet, forming, in essence, a large forest shelter.
It was almost as if this massive freestanding arch existed for this very purpose: to provide a weary and woeful people shelter from the harsh elements.
Wandering through this arch, embellished by bluffs, alcoves, honeycomb formations, and fluorite deposits, you, too, will feel an immense sense of peace and comfort.
This glorious bridge, which forms an awning above the preserve's gulches and caverns, is Mother Nature's very own shelter from the elements.
Sadly, despite Mantle Rock's umbrage, many of the Cherokee did not survive their time in Kentucky. Those who did continued to make their way across the river, along the Trail of Tears.
Today, Mantle Rock is not only the largest freestanding arch east of the Mississippi River, it's also a hauntingly beautiful reminder of a devastating moment in Kentucky history.
Have you seen Mantle Rock in person before? Did you know the largest freestanding arch east of the Mississippi could be found in Kentucky? It's a beautiful place that hopefully provided some peace for refugees during an incredibly heartbreaking moment in history.
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