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Village of Owl's Head Falls
White Mountains, NH
Village History
Please browse the images and photographs on this page to explore our rich history. Click on the first photo to open the slideshow with descriptions.
The Journey North (1757)
The Boreal and Mantling families leave their previous villages after disagreements with British Privy Council over its mistreatment and "scapegoating" of owls.
They build log cabins along the mountainside in an area of the White Mountains later known as Owl's Head Falls. Fourteen additional families arrive, establishing homesteads and beginning small-scale berry harvesting for jam making.
They build log cabins along the mountainside in an area of the White Mountains later known as Owl's Head Falls. Fourteen additional families arrive, establishing homesteads and beginning small-scale berry harvesting for jam making.
The Compact (1760)
The Owls Head Falls Compact is signed establishing governance. It creates a four-member Board of Selectmen and sets out rules for owl appreciation, wildlife protections, sound and noise limitation to protect avian wellbeing, and quality of life for residents. The first selectmen are Levi Boreal, Horace Mantling, Elbert Snow, and August Winthrop.
The First Couple (1774)
Two wise and friendly owls, Ezekiel (right) and Prudence (left), arrive in the settlement and make nests near the Boreal home. According to local legend, Ezekiel and Prudence teach young chicks and hatchlings of different species to adjust their flight patterns and calls to attract more avian activity to the new settlement. (Oil painting from 2021)
Liberty Owl (1776)
After struggling valiantly to conceive, Prudence and Ezekiel welcome their first youngling on July 4, 1776 (celebrated January 28)
Hatched on a stone formation on a hillside atop the village (later known as "Hatching Grotto"), the baby owl brings peace, joy, and a sense of calm and wisdom to villagers. Villagers later learn that on the same day that the owl hatched, America declared its independence from the British. The owl is named "Liberty Owl," but after growing up, flies off to roost in parts unknown.
Hatched on a stone formation on a hillside atop the village (later known as "Hatching Grotto"), the baby owl brings peace, joy, and a sense of calm and wisdom to villagers. Villagers later learn that on the same day that the owl hatched, America declared its independence from the British. The owl is named "Liberty Owl," but after growing up, flies off to roost in parts unknown.
Burning of The Treehouse (1777)
The Board of Selectmen votes to build a wooden community meeting place dubbed “The Treehouse.” The structure stands until it is burned during a minor skirmish led by anti-owl British General John Burgoyne in 1777 after the start of the War for Independence. No owls, bird species, or villagers were harmed.
Affirmation Commencement
Villagers create a town-wide affirmation station to express their gratitude for the blessings that Liberty Owl has brought to the town.
The Civil War (1861)
Owl's Head Falls sends its best men and two owls to fight for the Union Army during the Civil War.
The Monument (1876)
After the war, the village erects a memorial to honor its Civil War heroes and the owls who supported them in their righteous cause.
Owlet's Crossing (1876)
Population growth accelerates after the opening of Owlet’s Crossing, a wildlife preserve and informal camp that attracts owl and birding and artisans from across New England.
Board of Selectmen (1880)
Newly-elected selectmen promised villagers a significant increase in financial prosperity if they would permit mining in Cod Creek. The noise caused by the subsequent mining leads to an owl exodus, and villagers fear that the character of the community has been lost.
Pioneering Leadership (1884)
After the Cod Creek Affair devastated the village's owl populations, villagers elect its its first woman, Marguerite "Little Margaret" Feathers, as mayor. Feathers works to restore the owl population and because of her success, is named Keeper of the Aviary in addition to her official duties and serves a record five terms. She names pro-owl advocate Mr. Milton as the first Village Manager.
Statue Returned (1895)
Mayor Feathers completes extensive negotiations with Egyptian authorities and facilitates the return to Owl's Head Falls of one of the earliest sculptures depicting Liberty Owl.
Treehouse Rebuilt (1902)
The village rebuilds The Treehouse out of stone as a modest building used for village meetings. A carved Liberty Owl statue is placed atop the structure. The Treehouse fell into disrepair in later years but was renovated in 2010-11 and is still used for ceremonial purposes.
Owl's Head Falls in 1905
Owl's Head Falls is known for its snowy winters. For more than a century, villagers have gathered blankets, straw, and dryer lint to ensure that owls and other birds can insulate their nests.
President Taft Visits (1910)
Owls Head Falls hosts the first Festival of the Silent Flight in recognition of the village’s 150th anniversary and in honor of the region’s owls. The event features a small carnival, games, local art, and jams and jellies made by residents. President William Howard Taft attends and greets one of the village's domesticated owls.
McDonough Visits Owl's Head Falls (1920)
Dr. Franklin McDonough, chairman of the antiquities department at the University of London at Gloucestershire, visits Owl's Head Falls to examine a feather discovered under the nesting grotto that villagers believe may have belonged to Liberty Owl's mother. His report was inconclusive.
Feathers Inn Raided (1925)
Federal agents close the Feathers Inn, a local restaurant known as an informal hub for illegal gambling, wheel games, and bootleg liquor during Prohibition. The building is later converted into village offices.
Marcus Lancaster Draws Liberty Owl (1934)
Twelve year old Owl's Head Falls student Marcus Lancaster and his magic doll, Tiny Tim, starts making sketches of Liberty Owl.
Marcus later hitchhikes to Boston and New York to sell his owl artwork and donates the proceeds to needy Owl's Head Falls villagers.
Marcus later hitchhikes to Boston and New York to sell his owl artwork and donates the proceeds to needy Owl's Head Falls villagers.
Flow Stoppage (1937)
A group of "peacock owls" work with local beavers to dam up the Owletta River, which feeds the falls. Local commerce is disturbed.
Arrival of Clark Gobbler (1940)
Turkey vulture Clark Gobbler arrives in Owl's Head Falls. He is a gift to the village from OHF's sister city, Cat Mountain, Nevada, and works to tame the peacock owls and teach them not to
Supporting the War Effort (1941)
Owlet's Crossing transforms into a training facility. Local owls are trained to deliver messages, munitions, and chocolates to Allied troops across enemy lines in Europe during World War II.
Marcus Serves America; Tim Loses Eye (1944)
As a Navy Pilot in the Pacific, Marcus flies dozens of successful missions.
Tiny Tim saves Marcus' life after a deranged man lunges for Marcus during a poker game. Tim's eye is sacrificed in the scuffle.
Tiny Tim saves Marcus' life after a deranged man lunges for Marcus during a poker game. Tim's eye is sacrificed in the scuffle.
Owlet's Crossing (1949)
With World War II over, Owlet's Crossing is once again a popular gathering site for birders and owl enthusiasts.
Owlet's Crossing (1956)
Families gather at Owlet's Crossing to celebrate the 180th anniversary of the hatching of Liberty Owl (July 4, 1956).
Megano Makes History (1960)
Local entrepreneur Merry Megano, proprietor of Balloons for America, invents the world's first owl-compliant and avian-friendly balloon.
To see a gallery of our most famous and noteworthy residents over the many years of our existence as a village, please click here.
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