Little is known about the first attempt to beard the Old Man of the Mountain because there are no known photographs or newspaper reports to document the event and the principal players included the celebrated son of the other “Old Man”—Joe Dodge—who would not have taken kindly to knowing that son Brookie “Hirum” went AWOL from Lakes of the Clouds to pull off the daring stunt. It’s interesting that the secret was so well kept that, years later, a second bearding party knew that Hirum and an accomplice had attempted to attach a tree to the Old Man’s chin, but were probably unsuccessful. After all, if a tree falls in a forest with nobody around to hear it, does it actually make a sound?

Explore the story behind “Anna’s Quest,” the beloved Jack Richardson painting honoring North Woodstock resident and local historian Anna Marie Molloy. Learn about Anna’s life, her writings—including her community reporting for the Plymouth Record—and her enduring legacy through the Anna Molloy Memorial Fund and the Soldier’s Park memorial bench. A tribute to one woman’s role in preserving the history and heartbeat of Woodstock, New Hampshire.

A rare 1893 Atlantic Monthly article warning of White Mountain deforestation, highlighting early conservation efforts in the Upper Pemigewasset Valley of New Hampshire.