◀ Westbound to Milepost 79 | Mount Carrigain Dwelling | Eastbound to Carrigain ▶
Mount Carrigain Dwelling stood at mile 78.8 on the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad, just east of Frankenstein Trestle near today’s Arethusa Falls trailhead. Its name came from nearby Mount Carrigain, a 4,683-ft White Mountain peak named for Phillip Carrigain, who served as New Hampshire’s Secretary of State from 1805 to 1810. In the 1890s, a small logging settlement in Hart’s Location also bore the Carrigain name, and the dwelling is thought to have originated as part of that operation before entering railroad use.
A steam locomotive descends the Portland & Ogdensburg line beneath Frankenstein Cliff in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. The Mount Carrigain Dwelling stands in the foreground beside its timber snow fence, later becoming the Willey House Post Office No. 2. Early 20th-century postcard view.
By the early 20th century, the structure served as a railroad dwelling and equipment house. In 1941, following the retirement of long-time foreman Patrick McGee, Peter King became section foreman at Carrigain. That same year, he and his wife, Dot, purchased the building from the Maine Central. The local post office was moved into the house, which then became known as the Willey House Post Office (No. 2). Dot King served as postmaster and town clerk for many years while the family lived beside the line.
1956–1973: Dot King continued as resident/postmaster
After the post office closed, the dwelling remained in the King family until 1990, when it was deemed beyond repair and demolished. Their son Bill later built a log house on the same site.
