I almost thought this had to be a prank when I first read this. The Old Man of the Mountain, the great symbol of the great state of New Hampshire, collapsed sometime over the last few days. For anyone who has never seen it, The Old Man is a natural rock formation that takes on the appearance of the profile of a face sticking out the side of Cannon Mountain. It has been a ritual for me to stop there and admire the Old Man when passing through Franconia Notch in the White Mountains. There will definitely be something missing the next time I am there. Besides missing the Old Man for sentimental reasons, he will also be missed because he appears on New Hampshire license plates, NH quarters, state road signs and in many other places.
Here’s a picture I took of the Old Man of the Mountain a couple of years ago…
Daniel Webster once said of the Old Man:
Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoemakers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but in the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.
