On June 24, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower stood in Franconia Notch to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Old Man of the Mountain. Seeing the famous profile for the first time, Eisenhower was asked what he thought of it. His polite answer was “Remarkable. Wonderful. Interesting.” But what he was really wondering was: What does the Old Man of the Mountain think of us? In the remarks that followed, Eisenhower reflected on the sweeping changes the Old Man had witnessed—and on humanity’s enduring pursuit of peace, liberty, and happiness.

Published in 1949, Franconia Notch Reservation—White Mountains, New Hampshire, invites readers on a lively tour through one of New Hampshire’s most celebrated landscapes. Written in the conversational style of a letter to a friend, the letter-booklet recounts a visit to Franconia Notch’s iconic attractions, including the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, the Old Man of the Mountain, Echo Lake, Profile Lake, and the Flume Gorge. Along the way, readers encounter colorful local stories—from Aunt Jess Guernsey’s discovery of the Flume to firsthand accounts of the devastating 1948 landslide on Mount Lafayette. Equal parts travel guide, promotional piece, and snapshot of postwar tourism in the White Mountains, it captures a time when Franconia Notch was emerging as one of New England’s premier destinations for sightseeing, recreation, and outdoor adventure.

Published in 1828, Martin Field’s “Notice of the Profile Mountain in New Hampshire” is among the earliest known published descriptions of the natural rock formation that would later become famous as the Old Man of the Mountain. Writing after a visit to Franconia in 1827, Field describes the Profile as a “rare phenomenon,” noting how the human likeness appears strikingly clear when viewed from the north yet vanishes almost immediately when seen from another angle. His brief account also provides an early description of the surrounding landscape, including Mount Lafayette, Franconia Notch, and the dense forests that covered the mountainsides. Written decades before railroads, grand hotels, and organized tourism transformed the region, the article offers a fascinating glimpse into how early nineteenth-century travelers and naturalists viewed one of New Hampshire’s most iconic landmarks.

By Jim Hamilton (Spring 1992, The Resuscitator) NOTE: If you’d like to start at the beginning, head on over to Bearding the Old Man—Part One Collecting information about the 1955 bearding of the Old Man of the Mountains led us to David “Stretch” Hays, trailmaster of the AMC trail crew that summer who had mentioned […]

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?