New Years and Abandoned In The Woods

Eric Renderking Fisk | January 1st, 2012

For many reasons – and some not so obvious – New Years is the time when we reflect on the year past and buckle down with resolutions which seem more like a “to-do list” for the first half of January. One of my resolutions is to get back into shape, go for more hikes and take more pictures to post on The Chronicles. Today was one of those days I did all of that all at once.

I have a thing about Abandoned New England, places that were once a center of activity and a gathering place for the local society that are no longer being used and is slowly being recovered by the forests. During one hike in particular years ago I found a decaying old village center built around a fork in dirt road with many of the foundations of homes and shops built into a hill with intricate stone foundations that indicated to me that the people who were living there for a long time. For whatever reason whatever brought the people who built these structures left; maybe a main highway bypass was built nearby or whatever industry was here left. I can’t help but wonder who they were or what they felt when they left? I can only empathize with them as I would be heartbroken to leave the home my wife and I built and would have to leave a place I thought I would stay for the rest of our lives.

On this hike though, I didn’t find anything quite as exciting. This is a mere truck from the 1930’s or 1940’s that looks like it was abandoned after it either broke down or there was an accident. I can’t explain how or why it was rolled over, other than to assume that it was blocking the road and it was flipped by a bunch of men or a machine. Or is there a small chance it was flipped over during an accident?

It’s out of place now since this hiking path around the Annett State Forest here in Southern New Hampshire. What was this path before it became a park or reserve? Was this an actual road that people used regularly before this area was converted to conservation land? Was the layout of this region totally different with a totally different set of roads with houses and shops along their sides?

It would be interesting to look at some maps of the region from that period and match them with current maps to see what else we might find. Maybe this abandoned truck is only the beginning.