In western Maryland, Route 40 (as did
the National Road in 1835) passes through a splendid
water gap in the mountains. "The Narrows"
describes the compactness with which Will Creek has
carved a notch in Wills Mountain. Through this minuscule
gap, Route 40 and numerous railroad lines pass.
On the northeast side of Wills Mountain,
sits a rocky outcropping known as Lover's Leap. The
name comes from a Native American Romeo and Juliet legend.
The tale tells how a jilted lover met his end by jumping
off this ledge. Today, the rocks high above the water
provide one of the most breathtaking views in the Allegheny
mountains. So much so that Lover's Leap is the location
where many postcard pictures of the valley have been
photographed. In 1950, George
Stewart was no exception. Stewart included a photograph
from Lover's Leap in his 1953 book, U.S. 40.
The
first postcard view (ca. 1930) shows the old arch bridge
across Wills Creek. Just beyond is the 1930's era replacement
bridge which is still standing. Notice the billboards
along the right of way! Even the eastbound approach
for the old bridge has a billboard on the west end of
the bridge.
The rocky outcropping known as Lover's
Leap is up the hill on the right.
The second postcard view on the right
(ca. 1930) shows the same bridges as seen from the north.
Notice the eroded rocky cliffs on the left side of the
valley as compared with the gradual slope on the other
side. The mountain in the distance is actually in West
Virginia, on the south side of the Potomac River.
The business shown just north of the
bridges is now gone. Today, a large fruit stand and
a pizza restaurant operate from that location.
The
third postcard view (ca. 1930, on the right) shows a
man standing atop Lover's Leap. This is the platform
from which so many photographs (including George Stewart's)
are taken.
The large clearing in the distance was
just about completely reforested by 1950 when Stewart
took his photograph. Today, the hill is completely wooded.
