August 28 marks the 186th anniversary of the day seven members of the Willey family, and two of their hired help, perished in a mudslide that thundered down the mountain towards their tiny cabin. 1826 was by all accounts a dry year, but two days prior to the slide a powerful storm brought torrential rains to the area, raising the nearby Saco River by 24 feet.The family, lead by the father Samuel Willey, fearing the rising river and the ensuing mudslides fled their home only to be swept up in the mud never to be seen again.
This is where the story gains its legend. Ironically if the family had stayed in its house they would have all survived. Just up the mountain from their home a giant boulder split the slide in two, protecting the house as the mud poured down either side of the home, leaving it completely intact.
The really bizarre thing that I noticed was that when people came to check on the Willey family, they noticed in the house that their Bible was open to Psalm 18, which reads in part:
"I will love you, LORD. In you I am strong. The LORD is my rock and my fortress. He gives me help. God is my rock. I run and hide in his shadow. He is my shield. He is the one that saves me."
Now I am no religious scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but having read that passage, which is in the Book of Samuel by the way, I would think they had their sign to stay in the house behind the safety of the boulder. But alas they did not know the power of the mud and all nine of them died.
Today 186 years later the legend lives on deep in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The site of the Willey House remains a destination for more than just the Willey family, although I am not quite sure why people would stop there if you aren't a Willey. The house burned down a long time ago but it is commemorated by a plaque showing exactly where the house stood. While its not the most exciting destination, it is kind of cool to see your family being recognized.It would be nicer though if they were remembered for the way they lived.
By the way another storm of epic proportions blew through here causing equal devastation exactly 185 years to the day. Hurricane Irene brought flooding and mudslides to the area, but there were no Willeys lost that day thank God.
Other than sharing a last name, how are you related? Great grandparents on your mother's side? Do your kids understand the sense of history in the family?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to start saying I'm related because that's kind of a funny story (except for the death part). Gotta go tell my daughter now about her great great grandpa Willey that died in the mudslide...Creepy about Hurricane Irene.
ReplyDeleteI think it is kind of cool to know the legacy (and tragedy) of your ancestors. There aren't a lot of us out here that could say the same. Plus, the sign :) Do you often wonder how things would have been had they all survived? Would there be a legacy?- good Read! Ann from @babycountdown
ReplyDeleteWe are obviously a few generations removed from that period but they are related somehow, on my dads side. We probably share a great great great great grandparent.
ReplyDeleteEveryone can have a Grandpa Willey... Your just jealous that there is no Majaski Mountain or anything like that
ReplyDeleteNo idea how it would have been had they all survived... Would have just meant more distant cousins that I never met
ReplyDeleteFamily history, good and bad, is always important to know and pass down. Even if it's just for the photo ops in the White Mountains. :0)
ReplyDeleteHey it's a beautiful setting, you can't go wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool if that got your kids interested in Genealogy some day. Good story.
ReplyDeleteIt had them for about five minutes... My brother has the family traced back about 1000 years, one day we'll all look at it.
ReplyDeleteTerrible thing to happen to anyone but nice they get remembered at least. Family history show all sorts of good, bad and things we wish we never knew about people.....
ReplyDeleteAaron
Unfortunate, but very cool story. I'm a total sucker for all the "coincidental" stuff, ie, the bible verses and such. I don't think there is coincidence in life. Don't think my family has any claim to fame, unless you count that my Grandma for some strange reason saved every empty toilet paper roll since 1945. You know, you might need them for something one day.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful place and I am glad that I saw it... I honestly don't know if I will ever be back
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of rolls... I d wish that I had kept a few over the years... Every time the kids need one for school, it seems as though I just started a new roll.
ReplyDeleteGreat story--not so great for them, but a good read for us...and a cool thing to discuss with your kids (though if they are like most kids, it probably intrigued them for seconds before they saw a worm or a butterfly...)! I don't know how I feel about the whole Irene thing exactly 185 years later to the DAY?! Things like that completely freak me out--and fascinate me. I'm sure someone much more ambitious and smarter than I would take the time to figure out biblically and/or scientifically what that could mean, though it would probably creep me out even more to even think about what it could mean! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletehttp://anothertiredmommy.blogspot.com/2012/09/really-bad-poetry.html?spref=fb
Stay away from that area at tht time of year... That's all I can tell you
ReplyDeleteI'm related to Captain Samuel Willey too. His mother, Sarah Dinsmore, is my direct ancestor.
ReplyDelete