New Hampshire House passes bill honoring fallen ‘Old Man’

New Hampshire’s fallen Old Man of the Mountain would be honored annually under a bill passed by the House on Wednesday.

The massive, naturally formed granite profile attracted tourists to Franconia Notch for about 200 years before it crumbled in 2003.

The bipartisan bill, which now goes to the Senate, would designate “Old Man of the Mountain Day” on May 3 — the date the formation collapsed.

The House passed the bill on a voice vote, although Rep. Tim Cahill, R-Raymond, elicited groans when he compared the rock formation’s collapse to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed thousands of people.

“The Old Man falling was akin to the twin towers for many in the Granite State and around the world,” he said.

First noted by white settlers in 1805, the stone profile was named the official state symbol in 1945, attracting generations of tourists and appearing on the state quarter, highway signs and license plates.

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