Falling Spring Falls State Park
Falling Spring Falls State Park is a state park in Alleghany County, Virginia, five miles north of the town of Covington in the Alleghany Highlands region. The park opened in 2004. The centerpiece of the park is an waterfall. The park, one of the smallest in the Virginia State Park system, is maintained by nearby Douthat State Park.
History
King George III of Great Britain granted 82 acres, including the falls, to Gabriel Jones in 1771. In 1780, Governor Thomas Jefferson, who had once surveyed the falls and mentioned them in his book, Notes on the State of Virginia, deeded the property to Major Thomas Massie.During the first half of the 20th century, the falls were used to generate electricity to power the crushing of travertine and limestone, which were used in agriculture. Mining operations necessitated that the falls, which were originally, be shortened to the present height.
In 2004, the falls and surrounding land was donated to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for perpetual preservation.