About Us

                                                        The Mission  of WhiteMountainHistory.org is 

                                                         to  Identify, Record and Interpret sites

                                                         of Historical  and Cultural Importance 

                                                         within New Hampshire's White Mountains 

                                                         and to  preserve the photographic and 

                                                           documentary evidence of those sites.

Our plan is consider the various regions of the White Mountains in a multi-phase project.  The concentration for Phase I is the Crawford Notch region, extending along the White Mountain Trail, a state Scenic and Cultural Byway,  from Bartlett to Twin Mountain.  Phase II will concentrate on the region from  Twin Mountain, through Franconia Notch, Lincoln and Woodstock, down to Campton, including Beebe River and Livermore Falls. Phase III will concentrate on the East side of the White Mountains: the Conways, Pinkham Notch, Jackson, Gorham, etc.  The final Phase will consider other sites in the area defined as the White Mountain Region by the NH Office of Travel and Tourism.  It is our intention to define these Phases loosely and include sites of interest that might not be in the precise area.

There are hundreds of forgotten sites, ranging from trail systems built by the Grand Hotels for their guests to whole towns that no longer exist. There are mill sites, dams, mines, old railroad beds, and much more.  Identifying these sites will help  assure that future generations have access to information about these sites and have a better understanding of the past.

In addition, adding this information to the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources data base will help prevent future unintentional damage.

This site will use many vintage photographs and other illustrations to tell our story.  We'll also include Suggested Reading lists so that interested visitors will have sources of additional information. 

The information and photographs on our website  have been made possible by the support and cooperation of numerous individuals and institutions  (in alphabetical order): Roger Aldrich, the American Antiquarian Society, Adam Jared Apt, Phil Bell, Rob Bermudes, the Conway Public Library, Bob Cottrell, Peter Crane,  Dartmouth College, Ben English, Jr., Jim Fadden, Jean Fernandez, Andrea Fitzgerald,  Donna-Belle Garvin, Jim Garvin, Dave Govatski, Bill Gove, Dale Hamilton,  Dick Hamilton, Harvard University, Margaret and Sutton Marshall, Massachusetts Historical Society, Kurt Masters, Mount Washington Observatory, New Hampshire Historical Society, Jack Newton, the late Dan Noel, Notchland, Omni Mt. Washington Hotel,  Andrea Philbrook, Karl Roenke, Rick Russack, Forrest Seavey, Paul Soares, Alice Staples, Steve Swenson, Chris Thayer, Bryant Tolles, Twin Mountain Historical Society,the staff of the White Mountain National Forest, the Upper Pemigewasset Historical Society, Howie Weymss and others.

The vintage photos used on this website, from a variety of  private and public collections are used with permission.  Please do not copy without permission.

 It is also hoped that visitors, students, and researchers will be motivated to learn more about the changes in land use and the daily lives of past generations. 

 The work was begun by Rick Russack, Karl Roenke, Dave Govatski, Dick Hamilton who died in 2022, Chris Thayer, Judy Loto. It is now under the direction of Bob Cottrell 

                                                 We encourage your input. Email us with comments, 

                                                      suggestions and corrections.   Email us: