In New Boston, NH, there is a large hill named after Joe English, who was a Native American that lived in the area. A strange name for a Native American, you might think—and you’d be right. It turns out the other Native Americans living nearby didn’t enjoy Joe’s friendship with the white settlers in the region and dubbed him “Joe English” out of spite. His original name was Merrimacomet, and it’s believed he was part of the Agawam tribe.
On an open face below the summit, you can get a nice view of Crotched Mountain. The top photo is a view of North Uncanoonuc from the summit.
A Giant Leap
I’ve read a few different accounts of why this hill is named after Joe, but essentially, one day the other local Native Americans decided they were done with Joe and gave chase. Perhaps they believed he had informed the white settlers of their plans to attack, or they had grown to distrust him for other reasons, but either way, Joe’s time had come. Joe knew the area well and led his pursuers up the hill.
At the top of this little mountain is a significant cliff—a sheer drop of a couple hundred feet. Legend has it that when Joe reached the edge of this cliff, he jumped, hurling himself into a space that the other Native Americans couldn’t see. What they didn’t see was that Joe had jumped onto a safe outcropping of rock jutting out from the cliff, and unless you knew it was there, you would miss it completely as you ran in that direction. When the two or three attackers reached the cliff, unaware of what lay ahead, they continued their sprint, running themselves right off the edge of the mountain to their deaths.
Fully Fall in New Hampshire
Turning Legend into Ghost Stories
If all that’s true, it’s one heck of a great story—one I used to tell my kids quite a bit when we’d go hiking there, and other places, years ago. Especially during the Covid pandemic when I’d take them on all sorts of little hiking adventures to break up the monotony. During these hikes they sometimes liked me to tell them ghost stories, and I came up with a version related to the Joe English Hill legend.
The story had its variations with each telling, but I usually told of a hiker who would hear the sounds of Native American war chants, or feet pursuing him, until they chased him right off the cliff. Or of another hiker, who knew the legends of an old Native American haunting the territory and went to scout it for himself. He heard footsteps and singing, but checked his fear, and followed the sounds until they led him to the spot where Joe hid as his enemies fell to their end.
As we hiked up Joe English Hill, or another little mountain in the area, I’d tell my kids that “no one has been to this mountain since the day of that last hiker, so keep your ears open.” Then I’d make some battle cries, ever so softly, to see if I could get a rise out of them. They loved it.
On the Joe English Hill Trail
Another Look at Joe English
This weekend, I went back to Joe English with my wife. We wanted to get a little fall foliage without having to drive too far, and we had an easy hike up. Since I’ve known it, there’s always been some quarrying going on, and not much has changed about its appearance. At the summit sit two Adirondack chairs, where you can look out at a view of the Uncanoonuc Mountains, and usually spot ravens or some hawks swooping about. A rather large raven circled overhead upon our arrival.
After the hike, driving home down some dirt roads, we pondered some of the other stories in the area. Passing a beautiful barn, or a small house nestled in the foothills, we wondered what brought people to that destination. Why here? There are so many stories out there. So much beauty, effort, optimism in the face of strife. So many Joe Englishes, surviving against all odds, taking leaps of their own.
Summit view of North Uncanoonuc from the Adirondack chairs
Ascent Details – Joe English Hill (Parked near Summit Drive route)
- Route / Trail Name: Joe English Hill Trail
- Distance: ~1.6 miles round-trip
- Elevation Gain: ~429 ft
- Summit Elevation: ~1,279 ft
- Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
- Time Estimate: 1 to 1.5 hours round-trip
Field Note
It’s not entirely clear to me if it’s okay to hike the Joe English Hill Trail anymore. It’s been several years for me, but in all the times I’ve climbed it, this was the first time I remember seeing a warning sign from the Air Force. I knew the hill was near an Air Force Installation, but I was unaware that the installation might include parts of the hill. The way the sign is positioned, I could see how it might be interpreted as indicating the forest beside the trail as the restricted area and not the trail itself—but I don’t know what’s right here. I’m guessing the next time I go, I’ll probably wait until my military buddy is available for cover.
It’s a weird sign. Is it for the woods behind it, or for the entire area, including the trail?