Old Man of the Mountain NH Story Collapse & Current State

Back on May 3 2003, the Old Man of the Mounain of NH collapsed. For years, he was one of New England's best scenic wonders. Tourist would drive out to the White Mountain area to get a glimpse of the face in the sky. A decade later, the people of New Hampshire, got creative in restoring his profile back atop Cannon Mountain. Take a trip to Franconia Notch and see the current state.

[@allison6842]

I cried the day he fell, I may not be from NH but I visited it from the time I was a baby, the old man was someone we waved to every time we went past. To this day we have a moment of silence as we pass his spot. He was a huge part of my childhood, I am so glad NH is still honoring him!

[@PaulsWanderings]

I grew up in his backyard. Any time we went through The Notch, we would look to see the Old Man. I don't look up as much as I used to but it is still sad when I do.

[@DoofusDumbass]

Why would you cry over a mountain

[@waynejohnson1304]

I took a photo of the Old Man May 02, 2003. My friend called me the next day and told me that he saw the story on the news that it had fallen.

[@alfie9876]

If you take a close look at your photo you may see a shift in the rocks compared to an older photo.

[@josephmilio9493]

Wow that's truly a timeless photo

[@waynejohnson1304]

@@alfie9876 I see a lot of trees bending down as if there was a strong downdraft that happened. It may be the last photo of it standing. Unfortunately, I took it with a standard camera and not a digital camera so, it's a bit blurry in comparison to the digital photos.

[@waynejohnson1304]

@@josephmilio9493 I know. It may very well be the last photo of it taken before it fell.

[@theone-rv1nk]

@@waynejohnson1304 wheres the picture. I need to see this dude

[@Mentillias]

I'm just old enough to remember seeing the Old Man with my parents during a trip to Franconia Notch. I remember Dad holding me up and saying "Look, honey. There he is." And I squinted and stared and then...I saw it. I saw a craggy old face against the sky, and I felt an immense thrill in my soul that I still remember to this day. It was more than just a jumble of rocks. The Old Man was a symbol of wonder and strength and rugged New England charm. It was something wonderful that gave us all, young and old, an occasion to stand in awe for decades.

[@ellrick]

Well said, first time as a little kid seeing it was pure magic.

[@gnessakravetz6956]

We would often go to this part of New Hampshire and go to the Polar caves and the flumes and we would certainly see the old man on the mountain so many times it makes me really sad I’m 65 and it brings me back to my childhood thank you

[@TheAeroAvatar]

As a New Englander, I regret that I never saw the Old Man of the Mountain. We had family up in that state, and if only I knew what I was missing.

[@moose9784]

Being originally from New Hampshire, I once had the immense privilege of seeing the Old Man in all his glory. I was devastated when I saw the headline that New England weather had brought him down. Seeing the creativity in that rod arrangement is a great way to show what the Old Man looked like.

[@johnnysays9629]

This was the one thing i always looked forward to seeing on vacations as a kid. Its sad.

[@flcarleton1958]

I had left New Hampshire when I was 7yo. I remember when we went to see him, my parents took a picture of him through binoculars. I never learned what happened to the 2 pictures we had. I 'ugly' cried when he fell. I still cry when I see or think of him (yes, I did cry watching)

[@SilverGram]

That is so cool, I saw the old man in the mountain back in the late 70s. I saw it because the great stone face was one of my favorite stories. Thanks for the wonderfully creative way of bringing it back.

[@andrewfreund3548]

I went to school up there in Littleton for two years (1977-1978) and have great memories of skiing Cannon and Hikeing up to see the OLd Man. I have not been back there in 20-30 years. I always thought he would be there forever. I was very sad to hear that he sucumed to the elements. He will be missed. I think the State did a great job on the memorial and I cant wait to get up there and see it

[@sandyhossman7771]

I felt terrible the day it fell, I am so glad I got to see it in person. What a wonderful memorial

[@Langelierdesigns]

I was lucky to see him in person! This is a great tribute and knowledge! Thanks!

[@michaelsteinberg5335]

The New Hampshire quarter shows an artifact that is no more!

[@estedetringham7528]

Very well done, and thank you! I lived in NH until I was 12, so I saw The Old Man as a child. Moved back to the area as an adult, and took many friends and family "from away" to see the old gentleman in person. Thankful for having ad the experience. Haven't been back since the collapse, but your video makes me want to take a drive...

[@johnafagerquist8235]

Great video. I'm fortunate enough to have seen "him" a few times, and was saddened, as a New Englander, to hear of the collapse. I agree, New Hampshire got it right. Thank you for the information and entertainment.

[@jeanatraynor1559]

Nice video thank you my husband had got to see the old man many years ago a number of times on family vacations growing up. And he has always liked it. I m sad that ill never get to see it.

[@merik2001]

What a brilliant way to keep an old legend alive I currently plan to visit the site one day

[@Mrberlinnh]

I remember when he fell, my grandmother called her sister in Florida and said, "the old man died, he fell down the mountian." My aunt thought that my great-grandfather (her father) died lol.

[@Peng_Pong]

XD

[@dickjohnson5025]

Idiots

[@giannavitto5994]

holy shit!!XD

[@wescollins2981]

@@dickjohnson5025 hey buddy go fuck yourself okay

[@TeddiiBearAngel]

I was at the site a week before it fell. It was amazing everytime I went. A once in a lifetime experience to see when it was there.

[@scottcannon6487]

Nice post. Very well done. It makes you want to go there, even with it gone.

[@-LiveFreeorDie]

Rest in peace, Old Man. 13 years later.

[@ToyInsanity]

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing.

[@josecastro8358]

1:39 u can see a face in the sky to the left

[@dougs364]

Great job.. I've seen both and you've brought a a tear to my eye.. well done..

[@danmanning4129]

My grandmother brought us up to Bethlehem every year to ski at Bretton woods during February vacation, and every time we went up, my cousins and I would fight to get a view of the old man. Punching and pushing each other out of the way to cement our snotty faces against the windows of her Buick to see him, even when it was dark (the old man on a full moon was a sight to see). I was deployed to Iraq when the old man fell, and it was as equally doleful as anything else I had experienced that year. After getting out of the military, I have made northern New Hampshire my home, and I wander the mountains of Franconia Notch and still look up at where the old man stood watch. Every year I visit the old woman of the notch (The watcher), and talk to her about the old man while looking up at his place. The old man is still there, the ambience of that area is one of a kind and something I have never experienced anywhere else in my travels around the world.

[@margogo93]

Thank you for posting this video. I came here after seeing a picture of my beloved Joe Biden at his son's funeral. As a midwesterner, I had a faint recollection of the other stoic profile in New England, that of the Old Man. Live Free or Die. Live fully. Live to contribute. Live strong to be able to withstand "whatever nature throws at you." At this moment, I am embracing the images of Joe and The Old Man. Serenity and Courage to you...to us all.

[@andrew_owens7680]

I was lucky enough to have seen the original and climbed on Cannon Mountain in my rock climbing days.

[@TheRandomINFJ]

When I was a kid, when my dad would point out the Old Man, I used to think it was the same old man who was snoring and fell off his bed then bumped his head and couldn't get up in the morning. I used to look for an old dude atop the mountain and wondered why anybody would live up there. I pictured him living in some old cabin. Ahhhhhh childhood! 😆 RIP Old Man 💕

[@homerrunningtortoise3258]

I spent many of summers in Franconia Notch NH and Lincoln NH and I remember my family would get so excited , and it was just amazing and the most awesome of summers spent on the mountain's of NH , back then there was just a two lane Hwy and you could actually drive slow and really enjoy the view, then thruways and Hwy's came and people would drive 80 miles an hr , I have the greatest of memories of my summers spent in NH

[@scorp1181]

I remember many a Summer with my old man, at the old man, Taking the tram to the top, looking over the lake, running in the scrub brush...... I miss those days.

[@LynnCooks]

I remember seeing it with my grandmother when I was about 10 years old, about 1982. good memories :)

[@ponygirl3206]

I miss him so much....His spirit lives on!!

[@stevekautz1100]

I was there in 1987. Saw if from the park but also remember driving by on the highway and slowly seeing it appear out of the rock cliff.

[@michaelminton1224]

I remembered seeing this in 1991.

[@TheFerrarimovement]

I had no clue it even collapsed. So sad, glad my father took me to see it as a kid.

[@4thstooge75]

They should have installed a fiberglass replica to replace his face!

[@greyk610]

Was only 7 when it collapsed, I genuinely can't remember if I saw him or not. I feel like I remember my parents pointing to him on my way to s hockey game when I was 6 or 7, but they might have just pointed to where he was before collapsing months prior. Wish I saw him as an adult.

[@austin1fiddler]

Rest in pieces, Old Man.

[@DoctorColonelGonzo]

Love that...

[@glennmerlini2895]

building a replica would have been a ridiculous move,,what man the old man so special was the fact the he was "natural"

[@bakedwithrealchez]

I got to see it in June 2002 when I was 11

[@iamyzdemon5717]

That was the one thing I wanted to see in my life time because I’m a die hard NH fan and the weekend we planned on driving up to see it IT FELL OFF!!! Fml

[@carmenism]

What made you a NH fan?

[@iamyzdemon5717]

@@carmenism was born and raised here for the past 26yrs. I've been to other states but I always come back here.

[@11myhunter]

I used to see it every day growing up, always wanted to take my family up to North Woodstock when the kids got older

[@albertnash888]

The profiler plaza is a good way to honor the Old Man of the Mountain, but I prefer we rebuild it as it was somehow. I am sad I never got to see him in person though.

[@fredferd965]

Something out of one of the Tim Dorsey "Serge" books -- he loved the Old Man of the Mountain. Somewhere, in one of his books, he mentions that New Hampshire License Plates bear their legend, "Live Free or Die!" The license plates, he says, are made in New Hampshire prisons...........

[@andrew_owens7680]

And THIS, ladies and gentlemen is why we need more than just STEM programs in school. Stalin had the best STEM programs in the world in his day, but nothing approaching great artists (who weren't put in gulags). SUPPORT THE ARTS!

[@brispy1890]

I went to Maine in 2001 or 2002, I don't remember, but I was 2-3 years old and was so amazed by it, we went back a couple years later and heard that it had fallen, I was crushed as a little kid lmao

[@arthurkent5254]

I respect that Old Man a lot.

[@echolot]

I thought you could find this in the Scarlett Meadows region of the Lemoyne territory..

[@FiveJiggawatts]

Posted my video from the top. It's short but you can see the broken supports. To think I've stood on the rocks supported by them is a bit scary.

[@rocco1894]

Tim D .....I put those turnbuckles there in 1958 but the state engineer would not allow me to close. the fissure hence the erosion continued till 2003 and it fell

[@estedetringham7528]

:'(

[@harveypost1841]

Boy is that lake cold...

[@pennygiller2377]

part of my childhood along with indian moccasons and the three dancing bears that gobbled up peanuts.....never would have seen a bear otherwise in my life! Real is great....too bad they don t have a virtual reality tour for your childhood memories with all this smart technology....

[@nukkyakya]

How about slightly further down the road, The cliff face, cut, jagged in such a way... It's the sliding door

[@joeschlotthauer840]

Great idea with the rods...

[@nicholaslovett6248]

The Old Man was one of us!

[@Sonjamarieministries]

My Grandfather broke his back working on the old man’s nose when I was a child.

[@2007tuber]

I am so proud of your state! What an amazing way to look at the old Man!! Elegant, ingenious way to preserve this memory for the ages to come. (thanks to Ben:kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXPCaqGGjrGtiMU ) amazing amazing so proud of your state/humanity there.

[@smasse64]

see this link to the 1958 restoration of the old man by my great uncle Louis Masse of N. Tewksbury, Ma....uncle Louie's company, Waterproofing Engineering of Revere got the contract and drilled the cores in pink granite to mount those steel cables...all work was highly skilled and uncle had many articles written about him and his crew and the special formula they used to cement patches over the large cracks to forestall collapse...it worked from 1958 until 2003 and kept 2 more generations seeing the Old Man...Steve Masse of Lowell, Ma see this histroic footage not seen by many: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4e2pH9rp6d4jdk

[@jeffreydelong3747]

That is a wonderful story . Surprised not one comment though .I was just that way in August and never knew until my postman told me the story. Small world hu ?

[@smasse64]

Hey Jeff. Yes. I don’t know why no comments. But we family donated uncle Louis Horace Masse’s film from 1958 and pics and tools and some granite borings of the pink granite where puns were used to mount turn buckle iron tie-backs ! Visit museum. Ask why they don’t give credit to Louis MASSE by name in pics and ask for film by MASSE from May to Oct 1958.. for some reason they still won’t attribute this restoration to my uncle from Revere Ma.

[@mark.hapsis4315]

For Christ. God took out old man

[@robin2000]

05/02/2020.- The Old Man collapsed to the ground between midnight and 2 a.m. on May 3, 2003, 17 years ago.

[@gerardjosephhinzmanhinzman1167]

THE OLD MAN ON THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE LIVE FREE OR DIE FREE AT LAST FREE AT LAST THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I'M FREE AT LAST MLK👵👴

[@FiveJiggawatts]

Climbed this before and after. Climbed it again over the weekend, sad to see it's gone. There are still supports hanging over the edge. I'll post a short video i made at the top where his head was. Amazing view from up there.

[@goofydog2]

+Tim D Did you ever post your video?

[@FiveJiggawatts]

+goofydog2 yes sir

[@theboundless05]

Wait i saw it in either 2013 or 2014?

[@AlfredFJones1776]

Just drove through NH and saw the remnants of the Old F*ckface of the Foothills.

[@russellsmith2026]

We need to rebuild it.

[@dickjohnson5025]

That’s just stupid

[@williambtm1]

Given enough time nature will corrode the entire profile of America and its mountains, this same had happened to the inland Western Australian State's mountains and huge uplifted volcanic pyroclastic eruption form cones, now they and the mountains are little more than endless miles of a flat-land country peppered by the occasional sand-dunes in many of its arid interiors. This same State has a visible ancient bed of Australia's Archean or earlier era Greenstone to compare to all other rock forms in our land of Australia. The Earth was once calculated by geologists to be 3 Billion years in its formation, this has since been stretched to 4.5 Billion years in its formation.

[@jennyjansen754]

I saw it about 50 years ago.

[@maggiethorenson]

I saw it in 1988, riding down the Kancamagus Hwy in Franconia Notch. I didn't even know it collapsed.

[@u-shanks4915]

The old man didn’t die He simply became older

[@jwr7138]

Leave it to New Englanders to come up with the perfect solution.

[@mikemanjo2458]

Cool solution!

[@blacksand42]

Hey, it's an interesting rock formation, or at least it WAS, and I'm glad for the tourism it promoted. However, it was really a stretch for me to see the "old man". Seriously. I know, I know, many people will probably disagree with me and call me some kind of scrooge! LOL Now if you want to really see something, we have this Piasa Bird in Missouri. There's a huge painting of it, in living color, on a cliff, not far from St. Louis. I think it's on what is called the Great River Road along the Mississippi. Yep, the old Piasa Bird really truly existed, not like the Old Man which is only rock, and it would pick up unruly children in its talons and take them off to his nest up in the bluffs, never to be seen again. Or something like that!! Google it!

[@DeerheartStudioArts]

It wasn’t carved by man but by nature

[@salvatornado]

I moved to nh in '03 and it collapsed. all the road signs had it's picture. it's kinda funny

[@DTTCC]

I saw it when I was a kid

[@sqeakgeek]

Any one remember the bear park that used to be near the base of this ICON I was about 1973

[@lonesomedovecall822]

Yes, I do... been there many times through the years. It was called "Clark's Trading Post," and they were famous for their bear shows. I haven't been there in years but, I believe, the place is still in operation today.

[@21sungalute.42]

It reminds me of a battling robots game I had as a kid in the 1970's hit him square on the jaw and his head shot up on a ratchet.

[@timothyfogarty2461]

The old man of the mountain wasn't just a rock.

[@migroja]

They made it of ice now

[@StockHeightChevy603]

Live Free or Die ❤️

[@darrylnimmons1334]

the more I look at those blocks of stine face mountain . they remind me of the SACAHUMAN UN PERU SOUTH AM. PERHAPS MAYBE THIS WAS PREFLOOD CIVILAZATION MOUNMENT NO DIFFERENT THAN MARKAWASI .SA. IT MAY NOT BE NATURAL.

[@phoenixman8569]

there is a rock formation just a few feet off the ground just on the way into town in Nanaimo bc Canada that sort of looks like the front of a killer whale coming out of the rock, so much so that someone painted it to look even more like a whale, that was some 15 or so years ago and its still there to this day.....

[@mikexxxxxxxx]

someone pick me up and take me outta this city

[@RobertBienenfeld]

I heard some young dudes with a few sticks of dynamite blew up the old man of the mountain, except the Government keeping hush on this!.

[@McGby128]

Or maybe 3 tons of rock overhanging a mountain fell off due to structural instability.

[@paulmoholland6568]

+Robert Bienenfeld no one blew it you mr conspiricy theorist

[@NotoriousRNG]

Robert Bienenfeld actually it was aliens

[@hephep5832]

Or the jews.

[@JonRheaume2282]

Idiots. And your conspiracies theories. But I have a theory... If you remember this was the year that Mars came so close to planet Earth. That same week it was the closest. I think that the extra gravitational pull along with it's well-known flaws and the people that took care of it. Let water seep in behind it. and it failed that night when the water froze then pushed it off along with the extra gravitational pull from the planet. Look it up it is fact. that is what I remember. but no one ever mentioned that the extra pull was a factor to its demise. But me.

[@angelaraines6169]

Think it's a titan

[@clasystems]

Flash Gordon theme music!

[@burnt1038]

People dies in the collapsing mountain😱💀☠️

[@partywiener107]

It got Destroyed at night in 2013 or some else I said before you did

[@partywiener107]

I forgot what my teacher read about it ;-;

[@jondoes8222]

Rods would not do it for me. They need to make another one as a monument and erect it back...some of the original stones could be embedded in the face

[@gagelovz90000]

It fell apart because corrosion

[@tallboarder]

Erosion.

[@BenZaMon]

who here from ludwig lol

[@oliverbenquo8827]

i live in NH

[@DTTCC]

Cannon mountain looks like a finger

[@gagelovz90000]

Im in NH

[@LilySteele2258]

😭

[@number1mahomie798]

TOTS RAD

[@manuelmoreno6939]

Is not a natural formation

[@mikexxxxxxxx]

MM

[@zulukono663]

It was a stupid rock. Get over it.

[@SunSailandSand]

Stone Face in Pennington Gap, Virginia is 100000% better and you do not have to squint to see it, and hangs over a well traveled curvy road.

[@paulmoholland6568]

+ruchittenme you didnt have to squint to see it fool

[@caelachyt]

That's a goofy looking face.

[@andrew9224]

Any Ludwigers

[@governorofohio212]

Don’t