Old Man Falls

[¤I Love Clay Aiken¤]

Yes, its true. The one thing my state is known for falls down!! Its a travesty I tell ya! I used to love going up there (ok, I went twice). But Ive always found it neat how it was made naturally. The past few years, its been held up by rods, but with all the snow we've had this year, it couldnt handle the pressure. IMO, I think they should re-build it, even if it would be man-made.

From the Eagle Tribune:
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Old Man in Mountain profile falls



FRANCONIA, N.H. (AP) -- The Old Man of the Mountain, a stern granite profile that symbolized the state's independence and stubbornness, is gone, likely the victim of the same natural forces that created it thousands of years ago.

A state park trails crew reported at about 7:30 a.m. yesterday that the 40-foot tall face was gone from Profile Mountain.

A handful of cables and epoxy on the rocky mountainside indicate where the face once gazed toward the east. Fresh scrapes on the slope were likely caused by the rock fall. No fallen parts of the face were distinguishable from the other boulders on the slope.

For almost a century, the state had used cables and epoxy to try to keep the face from collapsing from erosion and the natural freeze-and-thaw cycle.

Those who did the work warned that a collapse was inevitable, but few thought they would live to see it.

The profile was obscured by clouds on Thursday and Friday, so it is uncertain when it fell.

The Old Man appears on the New Hampshire quarter, on state road signs and on countless souvenirs and tourist brochures. Since the early 1800s, millions of tourists have traveled through Franconia Notch to view it.

The profile was about 1,200 feet above Interstate 93, about 65 miles north of Concord.

"I've just lost my number one attraction," said Dick Hamilton, president of White Mountain Attractions, a tourism group.

Hamilton has commuted through the notch every day for more than 30 years.

"I say goodnight to him every night when I go by," he said. On Friday night, he couldn't see the profile because of the clouds.

"I went by and said, 'Good night, boss, wherever you are."

Daniel Webster, a 19th century New Hampshire statesman, once wrote, referring to the Old Man, "In the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men."

Niels Nielsen, a state highway worker who died in 2001, was the profile's official caretaker from 1960 until 1989, when he passed the job on to his son.

Nielsen told an interviewer in 1999 he thought the Old Man would outlive him by many years.

"My gut feeling is that any baby that's born on this date, today, will not see the Old Man come down," he said.

Amy Bahr, president of the Franconia Heritage Museum, said she has long been aware that the natural profile could slide.

"I knew it would go sometime, I just didn't think it would happen in my lifetime," Bahr said.

Paul Hayward's family has operated an inn in nearby Sugar Hill since 1780. He said he was devastated by the loss.

"I'm glad my grandmother didn't live to see this," Hayward said.

[¤I Love Clay Aiken¤]

These are the before and after pictures:



Another one:

[Titania]

I saw this on the news the other day- its so sad

I wonder if they really will try to put it back up there like they said.

[¤I Love Clay Aiken¤]

Originally posted by Titania
I wonder if they really will try to put it back up there like they said.

Yes, they are def. Im glad too! Some people want it to be leaved as is, but whoever is in charge said theyre def. gonna fix it ASAP.

[Brian]

I read about that on CNN.com. Good thing they are going to put him back together.

[Max Whittaker]

I don't agree with trying to rebuild it. The whole fascination with the structure was that is was made to look like an old man naturally. It won't be any fun if it's man-made! The magic will be gone.


In my opinion, we should just let it go. We'll always have photos after all. It was one of the most widely photographed landmarks in the United States.

[JoJoJoJoJoJoJoJoJo]

i agree w/ Max... i think it's sad that's it's gone, but they should leave it as is. I mean, it was naturally made to look that way.. maybe something else even better will end up taking it's place? Anyway, i'm babbling.. i think they should just step back, mourn a bit, and mov eon.

[¤I Love Clay Aiken¤]

I kinda agree to letting be as is, but the Old Man is what we're known for-- its on our vanity plates, our licenses, so unless they keep those the same we'd probably wind up putting the White Mountains on it or something. Icks. I think we should re-make, but maybe they could put it on the opposite side. It was always neat to look at.

[*PinkLady*]

Originally posted by Max Whittaker
I don't agree with trying to rebuild it. The whole fascination with the structure was that is was made to look like an old man naturally. It won't be any fun if it's man-made! The magic will be gone.

I agree. If they rebuild it, it'll just be another ordinary structure, instead of a really cool natural wonder.

[webuster]

Someone posted an optical illusions link one time on the boards. Anyway- there was the picture of the little face on Mars- then a picture of some town or something in italy that if you look at it sideways makes a very detailed face. I think it's kinda wrong to rebuild a natural site- if the grand canyon caved and was filled in by rocks and destroyed- it wouldn't be as much of a site if they carved it into the ground again.

[Penny Lane]

I say leave it alone! At least it has been immortalized on the New Hampshire State Quarter.

[Penny Lane]

Here's the quarter!

[¤I Love Clay Aiken¤]

Originally posted by Penny Lane
Here's the quarter!

I think we should re-make it- but not in the same spot. I think they should re-make one as like a memorial/historical site. Anything we have with the Old Man is going to be worth a LOT of money.