Concrete Pipes on Mt. Willard?

[WSC]

Hello
I need any White Mountain History Buffs to Help me out.
I climbed Mt.Willard in Crawford Notch, NH for the first time yesterday with some friends.
It was a nice hike with great views, we even had 2 A-10 Warthogs fly over us.
All along the trail on the way up in the final third of the hike were Large Concrete Pipes crossing the trail.
My Question is are these pipes just and andextreme form of water drainage for the trail, or were they used for something else. For example was there ever a building, Fire tower, or something on top of Willard that used these,or were they used for a water supply down below?
Thanks
Any help would be appreciated.
WSC

 

[Waumbek]

The trail up Mt. Willard was formerly a carriage road from the Crawford House, as well as a horse & burro trail for guests. I am not aware of structures on the summit, but it's certainly possible.

 

[Jazzbo]

Concrete Pipes on Willard Trails

Waumbec....Thanks for very appropos picture. I hiked that trail last year and recall observing the concrete pipes. You may have noticed remnants of drainage ditches running along the uphill side of the trail designed to carry drainage along the trail that was then routed across the trail through the concrete pipes and safely downslope. This served to minimize trail erosion. Nowadays waterbars are employed on hiking trails to accomplish the same function. I recall most of the pipes as being plugged with debris and no longer serving thier function. I recall thinking at the time trail maintainers could clean these out and return them to their original use to the benefit of these popular trails. Unfortunately the soil has eroded from the trailway bring it down to the same level as the old drainage ditches resulting in an extremely rocky treadway with remarkably bad footing down to the same level as the former ditches making for an incredibally rocky trail with poor footing that I doubt a horse or mule could negotiate now leave alone a carraige.

In those days it would have been economically feasible to install drainage pipe along a carraige road this close to main roads and what was at the time a major tourist destination like the inns at Crawford Notch. At the time the railroad links made Crawford Notch a much more important than it now is.

Another remnant of those days is the iron pipes and dam structure to be seen some ways in on the Gibbs Brook along the Crawford Path. Probably to furnish water to the inns in the Notch.

 

[NewHampshire]

horse & burro trail for guests.

WOW, brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "get your ass up there!"

Brian

 

[evilhanz]

They are drainage pipes from a short-lived auto toll road that was open for a couple of years in the 1940's.

 

[Waumbek]

They are drainage pipes from a short-lived auto toll road that was open for a couple of years in the 1940's.

That makes three auto toll-roads up WMNF summits (loosely speaking) that I know about: Washington, Willard, Agassiz. I suppose Pine Mtn, Moosilauke, and Cherry Mtn also qualify although strictly speaking I think that they had carriage roads, not auto toll-roads. Were there any others?

 

[jn316]

at least one jeep got to the top of moosilauke, but i don't think they were collecting tolls that day.

 

[chipc]

That makes three auto toll-roads up WMNF summits (loosely speaking) that I know about: Washington, Willard, Agassiz. I suppose Pine Mtn, Moosilauke, and Cherry Mtn also qualify although strictly speaking I think that they had carriage roads, not auto toll-roads. Were there any others?

According to my 26th edition WMG, there is a small fee for the auto road up Mt. Prospect in Weeks State Park (ok - it only has a 600 ft elevation gain....)


chipc

 

[David Metsky]

at least one jeep got to the top of moosilauke, but i don't think they were collecting tolls that day.

That was John Rand driving his jeep up the Carriage Road in the early 50's IIRC. AFAIK, that was the last car/truck driven to the summit. Snowmobiles have been up to the top, and rescue squad quads, a bulldozer and excavator have been most of the way up to the ridge.

-dave-

 

[evilhanz]

That makes three auto toll-roads up WMNF summits (loosely speaking) that I know about: Washington, Willard, Agassiz. I suppose Pine Mtn, Moosilauke, and Cherry Mtn also qualify although strictly speaking I think that they had carriage roads, not auto toll-roads. Were there any others?

I don't know of any other former auto toll roads that fall within the current WMNF boundaries. There certainly were other roads passable at one point or another by rugged vehicles fairly high up, but no tolls were collected. Bridle paths and many carriage roads collected tolls, but most did not survive into the automobile age. There were even toll trails here and there.

Oh and another thing about Willard, there *was* a structure on top in the mid 1800s, but it was primitive, probably not more than a warming hut. I've never seen any photos of the summit that show it, so it may have been short-lived.

 

[Peaks]

Photograph

There is a the large photograph in the lobby of the Carriage House out side the Washburn Room at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch. It is taken from the Elephant Head looking back on the old Crawford House and shows a pretty major road turning west off the highway. In all probablity, it wass the road up Willard.