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 rock profile. This old grainy 35MM slide represents the Old Man I knew over the years. Long live the Old Man!

Discovered and first recorded in 1805 by a survey party, the Old Man of the Mountain profile was a natural rock feature on the side of Cannon Mountain in Franconia Notch; it was the main attraction of Franconia Notch for many years. According to Moses F. Sweetser in The White Mountains Handbook for Travellers (1873), the two surveyors were Frank Whitcomb and Luke Brooks. However, there are a few different stories about who actually discovered the rock profile.[1]

After the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in 2003, an American Flag started appearing at the Old Man site every year, around May 3. Thank you to the group who is behind this! It's an awesome way of honoring the Old Man of the Mountain, and I hope this annual tradition continues.

In 1945, the Old Man of the Mountain rock profile became the official state emblem of New Hampshire. And his profile appears on license plates, street signs, the quarter, and numerous other state related printed material. He will always represent the ”Live Free or Die" state – gone, but not forgotten.

Over the years, efforts have been underway to preserve the future legacy of the Old Man. The Legacy Fund will help future generations better understand the connection many of us had with the Old Man. To this day, I still look up at the cliffs, a habit I can not seem to break. 

To license any of the above images for usage in publications, click on the image; you can view more images of the Old Man profile here. And if you're interested in the geology of the Old Man rock profile, click here.

Happy image making..

[1] There are numerous stories about the discovery of the Old Man profile. And the most accepted version of the story is the surveyors “discovering” the rock profile in 1805. But it seems very likely the rock profile was known to some long before this date.

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Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.