About the Museum
A few history buffs got together in 1973 to publish a book about “Saving the
Great Stone Face.” The “Franconia Area Heritage Council” registered as a
non-profit organization and published the book in which a local school teacher,
FRANCES ANN JOHNSON HANCOCK, detailed the great efforts and high risks taken
over many years to delay the final collapse of “The Old Man.” The book was a
success, and other projects were undertaken. The granite profile fell May 3,
2003, exactly 58 years to the day after New Hampshire adopted the profile as a
symbol, on May 3, 1945.
Local historians placed markers on other sites, such as the homestead of Luke
Brooks, who is now recognized as “discoverer” of the Old Man of the Mountain,
along with his co-surveyor, Francis Whitcomb. The Council, with awards,
encouraged school children to write essays on local history. Acquisition of the
Franconia furnace, the town’s most significant historic site, became the
principal goal. It is the only blast furnace still standing in New Hampshire and
the only known eight-sided one in the country. Iron smelting was the principal
cause of the town’s growth, before tourists discovered the merits of our
mountain village.
Failing in attempts to bring the town’s unique furnace under public
protection, the Council, in 1993, created a Center where the public can witness
the power and impact of the industry that spurred the town’s initial growth.
In 1997 the Council accepted responsibility for managing the Brooks
collection of 1,500 artifacts for the town in an 1880 Victorian house purchased
with Sarah’s Trust Fund (Sarah Nelson Welch, the last owner/compiler of the
artifacts). Since the opening of the museum in 1998, the collection has grown to
nearly 10,000 items. Contributions of 170 members and efforts by volunteers keep
the budget in balance.
A giant family tree showing local Brooks family members descended from
Captain Thomas Brooks, is available for viewing at the museum. It was prepared by
long-time resident Chris Brooks. In 2017 Chris updated the chart and added it to his website.
The chart is incomplete and he invites people to submit additional information. Chris can
be contacted at trib@tributaries.info or at PO Box 423, Bethlehem NH 03574-0423.
Link to online Franconia Brooks chart: http://www.tributaries.info/ui755.htm
The Museum is open Memorial Day weekend thru Columbus Day weekend on Saturdays
from 1 to 4 pm and by appointment.
Board of Directors: Franconia Area Heritage Council
Nancy Heinemann, President
Ernest Hansberger, Vice President
Kay Whitcomb, Corresponding Secretary
Dot Wiggins, Recording Secretary
Phil Krill, Treasurer
Eileen Ball, Kevin Johnson, Marcia Roosevelt, Amy Kelley, Amy Bahr (Emeritus)
Franconia Heritage Museum
553 Main Street, PO Box 169
Franconia, NH 03580
heritagemuseum@myfairpoint.net
Great Stone Face.” The “Franconia Area Heritage Council” registered as a
non-profit organization and published the book in which a local school teacher,
FRANCES ANN JOHNSON HANCOCK, detailed the great efforts and high risks taken
over many years to delay the final collapse of “The Old Man.” The book was a
success, and other projects were undertaken. The granite profile fell May 3,
2003, exactly 58 years to the day after New Hampshire adopted the profile as a
symbol, on May 3, 1945.
Local historians placed markers on other sites, such as the homestead of Luke
Brooks, who is now recognized as “discoverer” of the Old Man of the Mountain,
along with his co-surveyor, Francis Whitcomb. The Council, with awards,
encouraged school children to write essays on local history. Acquisition of the
Franconia furnace, the town’s most significant historic site, became the
principal goal. It is the only blast furnace still standing in New Hampshire and
the only known eight-sided one in the country. Iron smelting was the principal
cause of the town’s growth, before tourists discovered the merits of our
mountain village.
Failing in attempts to bring the town’s unique furnace under public
protection, the Council, in 1993, created a Center where the public can witness
the power and impact of the industry that spurred the town’s initial growth.
In 1997 the Council accepted responsibility for managing the Brooks
collection of 1,500 artifacts for the town in an 1880 Victorian house purchased
with Sarah’s Trust Fund (Sarah Nelson Welch, the last owner/compiler of the
artifacts). Since the opening of the museum in 1998, the collection has grown to
nearly 10,000 items. Contributions of 170 members and efforts by volunteers keep
the budget in balance.
A giant family tree showing local Brooks family members descended from
Captain Thomas Brooks, is available for viewing at the museum. It was prepared by
long-time resident Chris Brooks. In 2017 Chris updated the chart and added it to his website.
The chart is incomplete and he invites people to submit additional information. Chris can
be contacted at trib@tributaries.info or at PO Box 423, Bethlehem NH 03574-0423.
Link to online Franconia Brooks chart: http://www.tributaries.info/ui755.htm
The Museum is open Memorial Day weekend thru Columbus Day weekend on Saturdays
from 1 to 4 pm and by appointment.
Board of Directors: Franconia Area Heritage Council
Nancy Heinemann, President
Ernest Hansberger, Vice President
Kay Whitcomb, Corresponding Secretary
Dot Wiggins, Recording Secretary
Phil Krill, Treasurer
Eileen Ball, Kevin Johnson, Marcia Roosevelt, Amy Kelley, Amy Bahr (Emeritus)
Franconia Heritage Museum
553 Main Street, PO Box 169
Franconia, NH 03580
heritagemuseum@myfairpoint.net