Willey House (New Hampshire)

Ethan Crawford acquired it in 1823 for use as an inn to accommodate his growing business as a mountain guide, and in 1826 it was occupied by a family headed by Samuel J. Willey Jr.[1][2][3] Northern New England experienced a drought in the summer of 1826, which ended with the arrival of a terrific storm on the evening of August 28.

All but two of the bridges on the turnpike that ran through the notch were destroyed, trees suffered a similar fate and the high sides of the valley were gouged by swollen streams and landslides.

[1] Local residents, including Ethan Crawford and the Reverend Benjamin G. Willey, Samuel's brother, visited the house in the aftermath of the storm.

The business opened in 1829 and attracted many notable people, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and Daniel Webster.

[8] Visitor interest in the effects of the disastrous storm waned over time, despite the efforts of people such as Benjamin Willey to maintain and profit by it by offering guided tours of the house for a fee.