History & local legend
Gravity Hill near New Paris in Bedford County is a road where a stopped car appears to roll uphill. A local account collected by the Enigma Project traces its discovery to mail carrier Charlie Gumppet shortly after World War II. He was sorting mail in his truck when it began moving in what looked like the wrong direction.
Travel writer Jim Cheney experienced the same effect during a later visit. After inspecting the road from outside, he returned to the driver’s seat and watched his car roll backward, apparently uphill. It gathered enough speed to trigger his seat-belt warning.
The Enigma Project tested the stretch with a laser level and an eight-foot measuring rod. Their survey covered 416 feet and showed a descent where the eye perceived an incline. The surrounding slopes and scenery distort the apparent horizon, making an ordinary downhill roll feel like a reversal of gravity.
