Goshen Pass is a water gap, or gorge, in the Little North Mountain, formed by the passage of the Maury River, approximately 20 mi northwest of Lexington in Rockbridge County, Virginia. State Route 39 traverses the pass along the banks of the Maury River.

Background

Goshen Pass is the site of the Matthew Fontaine Maury memorial overlooking the Maury River. After Maury's death, his body was taken from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Along the way the coach stopped at the Goshen Pass, per Maury's request, to pick some of his favorite flowers, rhododendrons, and mountain-ivy before continuing onward to Richmond. Subsequently, a memorial to him was placed there, consisting of a vertical stone monument, showing Maury's face and an inscription a poem written by Mrs. Margaret Junkin Preston as cited on the webpage. In addition, high above the river below, a huge anchor and chain were placed, honoring Maury's naval service. Matthew Fontaine Maury is buried between Virginian presidents John Tyler and James Monroe.

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