Mt Willard Section House Vandalism – In April 2016 the Conway Scenic Railroad, on their Facebook page, posted that the Evan’s family monument at the Mt Willard Section House site had been recently vandalized. I visited the section house site last month and was disappointed to see the vandalism. The monument looks to be permanently damaged.
The Mt. Willard Section House site is located along the old Maine Central Railroad in New Hampshire, next to the historic Willey Brook Trestle, in Crawford Notch. Since 1995 the Conway Scenic Railroad, which provides passenger excursion trains, has been using the track.
The Mt Willard Section House was built in 1887 to house the section foreman and crew who maintained Section 139 of the railroad. From 1903-1942, the legendary Hattie Evans and her family occupied the house. The above image shows the Evans family monument before it was vandalized. The Evans family is standing by the house in the monument.
For some reason, vandals scratched the Evans family out of the monument (above). I will never understand why some people feel the need to leave their mark everywhere they go in the White Mountains. Destroying a monument benefits no one. Vandalism has become an endless and very concerning problem here in the White Mountains. It is out of control, and vandalism is destroying the region. There's no accountability anymore.
I reported this vandalism to local authorities who in turn reported it to the proper law enforcement division that oversees this area. Other than that, I doubt whoever did it will be caught. If you know who is responsible for doing this vandalism, please report them to law enforcement. Somebody needs to be held accountable for this senseless destruction to a monument.
All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in, and you can view more images of the Mt Willard Section House here.
Happy image making..
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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.
ScenicNH Photography LLC
Specializing in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, Erin Paul’s photography and writing focuses on the history of the White Mountains, and telling the story of abandoned places and forgotten historical sites.