Willey Brook Trestle, World War 1 Guard Duty

Sep 05
2012
Crawford Notch State Park - Willey Brook Trestle along the old Maine Central Railroad in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. The Mt. Willard Section House was located just to the right of the trestle. This railroad is now used by the Conway Scenic Railroad.
Willey Brook Trestle – Crawford Notch, New Hampshire  
 

Willey Brook Trestle, World War 1 Guard Duty – Many know of the Willey Brook Trestle along the old Maine Central Railroad in Crawford Notch, but some of the history surrounding the bridge is not widely known. And to appreciate this article, a little railroad history is needed.

Chartered in 1867 as the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad, reorganized as the Portland & Ogdensburg Railway in 1886 and then leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1888 and later abandoned in 1983. Since 1995 the Conway Scenic Railroad, which provides passenger excursion trains, has been using the track. The building of this railroad through the rugged terrain of Crawford Notch was an amazing feat during the 1800s. Above is a photo showing the landscape of the Willey Brook drainage.

The Willey Brook Trestle along the old Maine Central Railroad in Hart's Location, New Hampshire during. This trestle is within Crawford Notch State Park. And since 1995 the Conway Scenic Railroad, which provides passenger excursion trains has been using the track.
Willey Brook Trestle – Crawford Notch, New Hampshire
 

Originally built in 1875 of wood and iron, the Willey Brook Trestle crosses a deep rocky gorge that the Willey Brook tumbles down. This gorge is just east of the historic Mt. Willard Section House, which was home to the legendary Hattie Evans.

Trestle along the old Maine Central Railroad in Hart's Location, New Hampshire during the winter months. This trestle is within Crawford Notch State Park. And since 1995 the Conway Scenic Railroad, which provides passenger excursion trains has been using the track.
Willey Brook Trestle – Crawford Notch, New Hampshire
 

When the United States entered into World War 1 in April 1917, there was great concern that important sites along transportation routes, such as railroad bridges, would be blown up. Soldiers were responsible for protecting these sites. And one month after the United States entered into the war, Private L. Dudley Leavitt and seven other National Guardsmen of the First Vermont Infantry were assigned six weeks guard duty of the Willey Brook Trestle.

Trestle along the old Maine Central Railroad in Hart's Location, New Hampshire during the autumn months. This trestle is within Crawford Notch State Park. And since 1995 the Conway Scenic Railroad, which provides passenger excursion trains has been using the track.
Willey Brook Trestle – Crawford Notch, New Hampshire
 

In Life by the Tracks by Virginia C. Downs, Private L. Dudley Leavitt provides a first hand account guarding the Willey Brook Trestle in 1917. He also references revisiting the trestle and Hattie Evans in 1925 with his wife after his discharge from the National Guard in 1919. During his 1925 visit, he relocates the trackside telephone pole and ledge overhang he carved his name into when doing guard duty.

Crawford Notch State Park - The Maine Central Railroad in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA. Chartered in 1867 as the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad then leased to the Maine Central Railroad in 1888 and later abandoned in 1983. Since 1995 the Conway Scenic Railroad, which provides passenger excursion trains has been using the track.
Barely Visible – L.D. Leavitt Carved In Ledge, Maine Central Railroad
 

Today, the telephone pole is gone (looks to have been cut down), but carved in the ledge near the Willey Brook Trestle is "L.D. Leavitt". You can barely make out his name in the upper left corner of the above photo. Could this possibly be the original carving he did in 1917 or has someone innocently etched his name into the ledge to pay tribute? Either way, cool piece of history!

I have viewed many of the 19th & 20th century names that are carved into the ledges along the Maine Central Railroad, but this is a surprising one. And I am skeptical if it is the original carving, but anything is possible. View more scenes of the Willey Brook Trestle here.

Happy image making..

 

© Erin Paul Donovan. All rights reserved | Historic Information Disclaimer | White Mountains History

Bibliography:
Donovan, Erin Paul. “Mt Willard Section House, Crawford Notch.” ScenicNH Photography LLC, 15 Dec 2011, https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2011/12/mt-willard-section-house/.

Downs, C. Virginia. Life by the tracks. West Kennebunk, ME: Phoenix Publishing, 1983.

September 5, 2012 | Categories: Passenger Railroads | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

32 Responses to “Willey Brook Trestle, World War 1 Guard Duty”

  1. Bailey

    Hi, I was wondering how to get to this location. do you just walk up the tracks?

    Reply
  2. Mayuri patel

    Love this article ! Can you pls share hike details for willey brook and how to get train views ? I already done frankstein trestle with your help! Thank you! 

    Reply
  3. Beth

    I'd like to hike to the trestle as well. Where would I park for the trailhead to the tracks? Also, do you know how far it is from the Frankenstein Trestle? Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers 

    Reply
  4. Ash

    Hi Erin, 

    Beautiful picures and great information by you about the Willey Brook Trestle. Could you please share how to get to the viewpoint? Appreciate it. 

    Thanks kindly, 

    Reply
  5. Hinal Parmar

    Hi, what a beautiful website and great information, I wanted to ask how to get to the Willley Brook Trestle, the mountain view. I have been planning to see this for so long but have no idea how to get up to get the iconic train and foliage view. Will you be able to share directions please if you can. Thank you in advance 

    Reply
  6. Maddie

    I am from NH and would love to add this hike to my roster. Any chance you could tell me more about how to find that "trail"?

    Reply
  7. Matthew

    Hi Erin, great website and pics. Any chance you would be able to share the directions to the trestle? I'm visiting from Australia and it's been on the bucket list for a while. I'm planning to do this tomorrow 🙂 TY

    Reply
  8. Ifti

    I'll really appreciate If you can send me an email for the directions to trestle.

    Reply
  9. Jared

    Hey Erin,
     

    Thanks for the info. Was wondering if you cold also send me an email about how to hike to the trestle. Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Lara

    Hi Erin,

    Thank you so much for your work! I was also wondering how you hiked to the vantage point, and would really appreciate if you could send me an email about that. Thanks again 🙂

    Reply
  11. Shaurav

    Hi there, can you also email me how to get to that bridge? Thank you so much!

    Reply
  12. Prashant

    Hi Eirn,

    If you could please provide how to get to willey brook trestle.

    Thank you

    Prashant 

    Reply
    • Erin Paul Donovan

      Hi Syed,

      I sent you an email about the Willey Brook Trestle. Let me know if you didn’t get it and I will resend the information.

      Have a great time!

      Reply
  15. Mark Stoffan

    Hello again. I first saw Leavitt’s name there in 1983, right after the book came out. I believe Ray Evans told me it was original, but I can’t recall that with certainty. 

    Reply
    • Erin Paul Donovan

      Hi Mark,

      Leavitt’s story is a great and interesting piece of White Mountains history. His name is getting hard to see in the rock these days.

      Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
  16. Jill C

    I just happened upon you pictures and commentary about Pvt. Leavitt.  I'm following links and finding more of your work.  Thank you so much.

    Reply

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