GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Staff at Gettysburg National Military Park reported that one of the capstones of the South Confederate Avenue Bridge over Plum Run, best known as “Dinosaur Bridge,” was vandalized on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025; at approximately 1:30 p.m., park maintenance staff discovered a large capstone missing from the bridge and later 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, an Anchisauripus track (pronounced AN-kee-sore-ih-pus) from a dinosaur that lived during the Jurassic period (about 201 million to 145 million years ago), was unharmed and is now being held in park custody while the investigation continues.
Park officials said the investigation is ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact the park at GETT_Superintendent@nps.gov.
Photos of the vandalized wall and capstone and of the Anchisauripus track have been provided by the National Park Service, Gettysburg National Military Park. For additional information, contact Jason Martz, Communications Specialist, Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site, at Jason_Martz@nps.gov or by phone at 717-338-4423 (office) or 571-358-0516 (cell).
The National Park Service employs more than 20,000 people who care for more than 430 national parks and works with communities across the nation to preserve local history and provide recreational opportunities.