Gone 20 Years, New Hampshire’s Old Man of Mountain Lives On

Gone 20 Years, New Hampshire’s Old Man of Mountain Lives On
An interactive 3D model of the state's Old Man of the Mountain is shown back on Cannon Cliff in Franconia Notch on April 28, 2023. Matthew Maclay via AP
The Associated Press
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CONCORD, N.H.—Two decades after New Hampshire’s famous Old Man of the Mountain crumbled to pieces, the state is paying tribute to the granite profile that symbolizes its independence with new geological research, poetry, a song, and a scavenger hunt.

The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) natural rock formation—a series of ledges that resembled an old man’s facial profile—was suspended 1,200 feet (366 meters) above Franconia Notch, held in place by turnbuckles and rods to fight erosion. It collapsed, and the rubble was discovered the morning of May 3, 2003.