Thomas Jefferson stood on this rock on Oct. 25, 1783 and said, "...On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac (Potomac), in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea...This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."
Sometime around 1855 the smaller slab of rock shown in the photo was placed on 4 stone pillars due to concerns that all the visitors to the site would knock it loose on residents living below it.

On the NATIONAL RESGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES