News Release

Stone Containing Dinosaur Fossil on “Dinosaur Bridge” Vandalized

A low stone wall has one of the cap stones missing. To the left is a packed dirt surface. To the right it's heavily wooded.
The vandalized capstone on the South Confederate Avenue Bridge over Plum Run, best known as "Dinosaur Bridge," that contains a dinosaur fossil, is missing from the bridge. It is now safely in park custody while the investigation is ongoing.

NPS Photo

Subscribe RSS Icon | What is RSS
News Release Date: September 26, 2025

Contact: Jason Martz

GETTYSBURG, PA— Staff at Gettysburg National Military Park (NMP) report that one of the capstones of the South Confederate Avenue Bridge over Plum Run, best known as “Dinosaur Bridge,” that contains a dinosaur fossil, was vandalized on Thursday, September 25. At approximately 1:30 pm, park maintenance staff discovered a large cap stone missing from the bridge. They soon found it below the bridge along Plum Run. Evidence suggests a heavy object was used to strike the stone and pry it free, causing it to fall—or possibly be dropped—during an attempted removal. The capstone measures approximately 30 inches long by 18 inches wide by 4 inches thick. The fossil, a Anchisauripus (Ank-ee-sore-ih-puss) track, a dinosaur that lived during the Jurassic period (201 million to 145 million years ago) was unharmed and is now safely in park custody while the investigation is ongoing.

If the public has any information that could help the park’s ongoing investigation into this act of vandalism, they are encouraged to contact the park email address at Gett_Superintendent@nps.gov or e-mail us.

www.nps.gov


About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 430+ national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on FacebookInstagramTwitter, and YouTube



A dark grey stone shows a close up of a fossilized three-toed track of a dinosaur.
The fossil of a Anchisauripus (Ank-ee-sore-ih-puss) track, a dinosaur that lived during the Jurassic period (201 million to 145 million years ago) was unharmed during the act of vandalism and is now safely in park custody while the investigation is ongoing.

NPS Photo

Last updated: September 26, 2025

Park footer

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1195 Baltimore Pike
Gettysburg, PA 17325

Contact Us