While Katherine Paterson’s beloved novel Bridge to Terabithia takes place in the fictional rural town of Lark Creek, Virginia, the story has roots much closer to home in Montgomery County.
The book’s two main characters, Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke, were inspired by Paterson’s son, David Paterson, and his childhood friend, Lisa Hill, who attended Takoma Park Elementary School together.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, David Paterson recalled the adventures he and Hill shared growing up in Takoma Park. “We used to play together around Sligo Creek building forts and inventing games,” he said. Those childhood experiences helped shape the imaginary world of Terabithia. Even the creek featured in the story was inspired by Montgomery County’s own Sligo Creek.
The novel’s most heartbreaking moment also has a connection to real events. Hill was struck and killed by lightning at age 8 while visiting the beach with her family. Her death profoundly impacted the Paterson family and later inspired the tragic loss of Leslie Burke in the novel.
When Takoma Park Elementary School moved to its current location at 7511 Holly Avenue in 1979, a cherry tree was planted near the entrance in Hill’s memory. The original tree was later replaced with a maple tree during a rededication ceremony in 2005, continuing to honor the young girl whose friendship helped inspire one of children’s literature’s most memorable characters.
Today, generations of readers know Leslie Burke through the pages of Bridge to Terabithia, but few realize that part of the story’s inspiration can be traced back to the woods and streams of Montgomery County.
A version of this story was originally written for The MoCoShow by Amy Lusignan in 2020.
