Free printable vintage Natural Bridge Virginia postcards showcase the beautiful geological formation and the surrounding area!
The Natural Bridge is a 215-foot-high and 40-feet-thick horizontal limestone strata located in a gorge in Rockbridge County, Virginia, just a few miles to the west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Lee Highway, U.S. No. 11, passes over it. Spanning 90 feet in length with an average width of 100 feet, the formation is all that’s left of a tunnel or cave through which the Cedar Creek once flowed. The Natural Bridge is 55 feet higher than Niagara Falls and is illuminated every night.
The Natural Bridge and the surrounding 157 acres were granted to Thomas Jefferson from George III on July 5, 1774. Since 2016, the Commonwealth of Virginia has been managing the bridge and surrounding area as Natural Bridge State Park. [Source] The bridge has Virginia Historic Landmark and National Historic Landmark distinctions.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are stunning. It’s not hard to see why Rockbridge County has been a popular tourist destination for the last century. In addition to ample opportunities for outdoor recreation, the area boasts lots of small shops, restaurants, breweries, and annual festivals. [Source]
I’m sharing 12 vintage Natural Bridge Virginia postcards, which feature the bridge itself as well as the hotel and surrounding area. The postcards have a rich linen texture and vibrant hand-painted images. Antique postcards make beautiful wall art and can be used for numerous DIY projects, including but not limited to travel scrapbooks, art/junk jounals, greeting cards, home decor, and Christmas ornaments.
Printable vintage Natural Bridge postcard formats
Each postcard ZIP folder includes the following three formats.
- Original ratio (3.5″ x 5.5″). All of the Natural Bridge postcards are standard size, which is 3.5″ x 5.5.” Having the postcards in their original ratio gives you full creative control for formatting and cropping for specific wall decor and DIY projects.
- 4×6. I’ve formatted all of the Natural Bridge postcards in their original ratio with 0.5″ white borders on all sides for the simplest 4×6 printing. Every mainstream printing service offers 4×6 prints at very reasonable prices (as opposed to 3.5″ x 5.5,” which is almost impossible to find). You’ll also have an extensive selection of 4×6 frames for your new postcard art.
- 8×10. I know that many people creating their own wall art are also interested in 8×10 format. Again, I’ve added a white border to all sides of the 8×10 formatted Natural Bridge images. I’ve found that it’s the easiest way to keep roughly the original postcard ratio and to find a frame with or without a mat that works well.
I have a comprehensive size guide for my vintage postcard collection downloads. It has all of the information that you need to choose the best size(s) for your framing and craft projects. If you need additional assistance, don’t hesitate to ask!
After the individual Natural Bridge postcard downloads, I also have a set of 8.5″ x 11″ pages available. Each page has two original ratio postcards on it. The pages make it simple to print the full set of postcards at home or through the printing service of your choosing with less paper than would be required for printing each postcard on its own piece of paper. The 8.5″ x 11″ pages are ideal for creating art/junk journal and craft project materials.
The postcard images and 8.5″ x 11″ pages are all 300 dpi to ensure the highest print quality possible.
Are you interested in more postcard formats?
Just let me know! I’m happy to provide more sizes or other printing options for particular wall decor and craft projects.
About the free printable vintage Natural Bridge Virginia postcards
You may download and print the antique postcards and 8.5″ x 11″ pages as many times as you like for personal use, which includes classroom use. You may use the images for limited runs (5,000 items or less) of physical items to sell. Physical item use DOES NOT include made-to-order sites, such as Society6 and Zazzle.
You may also use the images for limited runs (5,000 items or less) of digital items to sell. Digital items must be flat, finished pieces (i.e., not Photoshop files). The items you sell must be original content using the images. You may not sell the images individually or as part of larger collections.
Finally, please don’t distribute the download files. If family, friends, or co-workers would like their own Natural Bridge postcards, please send them a link to this post where they can download their own files. Your support allows me to keep offering free printables!
Please note: The low-resolution preview images in this post are only tended to be used as previews. They’re great for sharing on social media. They aren’t suitable for printing. Please use the download links to access the high-resolution versions of all of the images.
Free printable vintage Natural Bridge Virginia postcards
The majority of information that I’m sharing about the Natural Bridge and surrounding area comes from the backs of the postcards. I’ve cited all other resources accordingly.
In Old Virginia Poem
The postcard features the In Old Virginia poem as well as an image of the Natural Bridge and an image of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In Old Virginia Poem 2
The postcard features the In Old Virginia poem as well as an image of the Natural Bridge and an image of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Air View of Natural Bridge
The postcard features an aerial view of the Natural Bridge, entrance building, and hotel.
Arbor Vitae Tree
The Arbor Vitae Tree is 1,600 years old and the largest of its kind known. The tree is considered a wonder by itself.
Bridge of Years
The postcard features the Bridge of Years poem by Carter W. Wormeley as well as an image of the Natural Bridge and an image of the Natural Bridge Hotel.
Natural Bridge in Winter
The postcard features the Natural Bridge in the winter with lots of snow and ice.
Natural Bridge in Winter with Border
The postcard features the Natural Bridge in the winter with lots of snow and ice.
[Natural Bridge in Winter with Border]
Are you interested in more winter-themed postcards? I included one of the Natural Bridge winter postcards in a vintage winter postcard collection.
Natural Bridge Hotel
There has been a Natural Bridge Hotel at this site since the 1880s. Learn more about the history of the hotel and the present structure at The Natural Bridge Hotel site.
Natural Bridge Hotel with Border
There has been a Natural Bridge Hotel at this site since the 1880s. Learn more about the history of the hotel and the present structure at The Natural Bridge Hotel site.
Salt Petre Cave
Salt Petre was mined from this cave to make ammunition for the wars of 1812 and 1862. Water was piped from Lost River 400 yards upstream for processing.
Natural Bridge Entrance Building
The postcard features the entrance building for the Natural Bridge with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background.
Natural Bridge
A final view of the Natural Bridge in its full glory during spring or summer with the Cedar Creek flowing under it.
8.5″ x 11″ pages
Download the complete set of original ratio postcards in one PDF file containing six 8.5″ x 11″ pages with two postcards on each page.
Please note: The preview image above has a black border because it gets confusing having a lot of white space around images in blog posts. The pages in the PDF files don’t have black borders.
I explain how to download and extract ZIP folders in my vintage dictionary pages post. This link takes you to the specific directions that you need.
Are you displaying the vintage Natural Bridge Virginia postcards or using them for DIY projects?
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More free printable vintage vacation destination postcards:
Head to the free printables section of the blog for more vintage postcard collections as well as antique sheet music and book pages. Head to my VintageDigitalRose shop for even more antique digital paper offerings.
