Interesting Characters - White Mountains, New Hampshire History

Interesting Characters, White Mountains

Interesting characters of the New Hampshire White Mountains. Throughout the history of the White Mountains, many interesting individuals have passed through the White Mountains region. And many of these people were instrumental in developing the White Mountains into what they are today. This work focuses on the individuals that have made the White Mountains special. Because some consider rock profiles to be characters, they are included here.

Benjamin Lincoln Ball, Mount Washington

Benjamin Lincoln Ball, Mount Washington - On Mount Washington in New Hampshire, along the Nelson Crag Trail, there is a feature known as “Ball Crag”. It’s named for Doctor Benjamin Lincoln Ball (1820-1859). Born in Northborough, Massachusetts, he was a Harvard graduate, dentist, traveler, and author of two books: Rambles in Eastern Asia (1855) and Three Days on the White Mountains (1856). He was ...

Boise Rock, Franconia Notch

Boise Rock, Franconia Notch - Along the northbound lane of the Franconia Notch Parkway, just south of Profile Lake, in New Hampshire's Franconia Notch, is the Boise Rock scenic pull-off; there is an impressive view of Cannon Cliff (above) from this pull-off. Cannon Cliff is the site of the now gone Old Man of the Mountain rock profile, and it is known worldwide for ...

Old Man of the Mountain, Franconia Notch

Old Man of the Mountain, Franconia Notch - On May 3, 2003, New Hampshire's Old Man of the Mountain, also known as "The Great Stone Face" and "The Profile" collapsed. The above image, taken around 2001, is one of only a few images I have left of the Old Man of the Mountain. This old grainy 35MM slide represents the Old Man I knew ...

English Jack, Hermit of Crawford Notch

English Jack, Hermit of Crawford Notch: English Jack, known as the "Hermit of Crawford Notch”, died on April 24, 1912. Born in the 1820s in London, and believed to have been orphaned at age 12, his real name was John Vials. He spent years working on ships (England) but ended up coming to Crawford Notch, New Hampshire to help build the Portland & Ogdensburg ...

James E. Henry, White Mountains History

J.E. Henry Burial Site - Glenwood Cemetery, Littleton, NH

James Everell Henry, East Branch & Lincoln Railroad - J.E. Henry died at his home in Lincoln, New Hampshire on April 18, 1912. He was a 19th and 20th century timber baron best known for his logging practices and building of the Zealand Valley and East Branch & Lincoln Railroads (1893-1948) in the New Hampshire White Mountains. He forever changed the landscape of the ...

Old Man of the Valley, Shelburne

Old Man of the Valley, Shelburne - The Old Man of the Valley rock profile is a neat little tourist attraction that can be found on the side of Route 2 in Shelburne, New Hampshire, near the Maine border. From the roadside parking lot, the rock profile can easily be reached by walking down the trail a few hundred feet. Just look for the ...