![]() The concept of the plaza is simple, yet creative. The Old Man Of The Mountain Legacy Fund was the primary sponsor of the project, and its funds came mostly from private donors - some of whom are named on the plaza’s paving stones. Today, the Old Man of the Mountain memorial spot is Profiler Plaza, a park that stands as a testament both to the generosity of the New England community and to good ol’ Yankee ingenuity. ![]() Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault This monument on the path discusses the Old Man’s enduring legacy. Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault Serving as an Old Man of the Mountain memorial, Profiler Plaza commemorates the Old Man’s memory today. The first steel pins were put into the Old Man in 1916, when caretakers first began to fear his collapse. Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault One of the steel rods used to hold up the Old Man before his fall is on display at the plaza. Profiler Plaza was dedicated on June 12, 2011. He was the state symbol they couldn’t just let him go. Formed from the stone that gives the Granite State its name, the Old Man represented solidarity, pride, and strength. A new man would simply be fake-a fraudulent shadow of what the Old Man once was. He was engineered by mother nature, held up for years, it seemed, by the hand of God. Why couldn’t they do that here?īut part of the Old Man’s majesty was that man took no part in his creation. The word, “reconstruction” was tossed around, with some suggesting that a corporate sponsor be solicited to help. Tourists would hardly come to see the absence of the famed face, they thought. Visitors flocked to the area to indulge their curiosity and pay their last respects, while the governor met with engineers and concerned citizens to discuss implications for the local economy. Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault The Old Man used to be reflected in Profile Lake. Viewing the Old Man today involves a 5-10 minute walk down a paved path to Profiler Plaza. He planned to pass the title down to his son Tommy someday. Dave Neilson was the Old Man’s caretaker, a job he’d inherited from his father. Some felt like they’d lost a family member, others, an ever-watchful guardian. It wasn’t until morning, when two park rangers noticed Old Man’s absence, that it became clear what that noise had been.įor many, the loss was personal. It never crossed their minds that the great stone face wouldn’t be there when the fog lifted. A few hikers who had been brave enough to venture into the mist heard a crumbling sound during the night, but didn’t think much of it. The Old Man was completely obscured, hidden away in the fog. It was Friday, May 2, 2003, a cloudy day in Franconia Notch. Photo Credit : Bethany Bourgault “Gone but not forgotten.” Photo Credit : Chris Burnett These famous words by Daniel Webster summarize how many felt about the Old Man of the Mountain. ![]() Their work ensured that though he was physically gone, the Old Man of the Mountain would never be forgotten. Almost as quickly, a dedicated task force assembled to honor and commemorate his legacy with an Old Man of the Mountain memorial. But suddenly, on a fateful May night in 2003, the Old Man was no more. If you’re on a New Hampshire highway, his is the face telling you which one. He’s on the state quarter, license plates, and on multiple items in just about every tourist shop in the state. He’s the classic state symbol of New Hampshire.
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