2023-06-21 00:40:00
On the sides of natural rock formations that resemble human faces, New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain had no rival.
Viewed from the right spot, the pile of granite ledges melded into the profile of a withered man, from sloping forehead to jutting chin, a hint of improbable magic treasured by generations of New Englanders.
But in the early hours of May 3, 2003, all five slabs collapsed, victims of the same slow-moving geological forces that had sculpted the face in the first place. So why, 20 years later, is the stone face still mourned in New Hampshire, the subject of songs, poems and a virtual remembrance event that drew hundreds of viewers recently?
“I think it was kind of a timeless symbol, and people thought it was never going to fall,” said Brian Fowler, a geologist who helps manage the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund.
When this happened, people felt their loss deeply, for reasons partly rooted in nostalgia. If someone you loved took you to see the Old Man when you were a child, you might remember that moment for a lifetime.
Mike Daniels, 40, a native of Littleton, New Hampshire, paid tribute to him on the anniversary of the Old Man’s death. He acknowledged feeling a certain emotion in the place: “It means something to the people around here.”
For outsiders, the attachment was more difficult to understand. “Actually, it’s kind of funny that the state would go to all this trouble to create a monument to a rock formation,” said Fran Moss, a visitor from NY. “But obviously it meant a lot to people.”
First described in writing in 1805 by surveyors scouting road locations, the Old Man helped turn the area into a resort. Efforts to preserve the face began in 1916, when rods were installed to prevent the forehead from detaching. In 1945, legislators designated the Old Man as the official state emblem, emblazoned on traffic signs and vehicle license plates. A few years later, turnbuckles were installed to secure the slabs.
But the presence of the Old Man persists. Teachers still share the Old Man’s story at a school in Franconia where students wrote tribute poems for the anniversary event online.
“These kids are 10 years old, but even though they weren’t born they knew him,” said Veronica Francis, a marketing consultant who helps with anniversary events. “How do they know? I guess it’s just in your blood if you’re from New Hampshire.”
JENNA RUSSELL
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BBC-NEWS-SRC: IMPORTING DATE: 2023-06-20 21:00:07
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