Name/Title
Natural Bridge, Lookout MountainEntry/Object ID
2022.017.001Description
Glass plate negative of a group of visitors to the Natural Bridge on Lookout Mountain. a grouping of two women and three children wearing white are standing on the wooden bridge that crosses the creek underneath the rock formation. A man in a dark suit can be seen standing in the background of the photograph, leaning up against the stone. There is graffiti above his head that reads "[?] lunches in the Bowling Alley". There is another group of men and women in the background, left looking towards the photographer. Other graffiti on the rock appears to read "[?] allowed on the bridge."
The Natural Bridge is a natural bridge formation above a dry branch ravine on Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. The formation measures 60 feet and was a popular tourist spot as well as an important meeting spot for the Southern Spiritualists Association. They frequently used the formation for performing seances and having mediums speak. Nearby, the SSA purchased a hotel originally built by Joseph B. McCullough, in 1884. The Natural Bridge Hotel was located about a mile from Sunset Rock and was advertised as a spiritualist retreat, hosting most of the well-known spiritualists of the day. Guests were treated to lectures and séances. And, as a result of a peak of popularity in spiritualism, an octagon-shaped meetinghouse that could hold 500 people was constructed. Over the next few years, interest drastically declined, and the venture was abandoned and sold in 1890. The hotel would soon close because of ever-increasing competition.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Glass Plate NegativeSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Natural Bridge, Lookout Mountain, TennesseeCollection
Lookout Mountain Collection