AP story resonates globally: New Hampshire hermit loses home, finds himself back on the grid
This undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon shows David Lidstone, who lived in an isolated makeshift home in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., for nearly three decades, is shown in an undated photo by his friend Jodie Gedeon. “River Dave,” as he’s known locally, refused an order to leave the property and was jailed. While he was in jail his cabin burned to the ground. live out his days off the grid. (Jodie Gedeon via AP)
By Kathy McCormack
A vividly detailed AP story about an 81-year-old man’s quest to remain in an isolated New Hampshire cabin hooked readers around the world, led to an outpouring of support for his predicament and eventually prompted the man to reconsider his hermit lifestyle.
The chain of events began when Concord, New Hampshire-based reporter Kathy McCormack began looking into the legal fight involving David Lidstone, a spritely, small-statured man with a long white beard known to local boaters and kayakers as “River Dave.” Lidstone had been living peacefully in an A-frame cabin along the Merrimack River for 27 years, growing his own food, cutting his own firewood and tending to his chickens. But in 2015, the property owner learned of Lidstone’s presence and moved to evict him. Lidstone refused to leave, and was jailed in July.
While he was in jail, a fire burned down the cabin.
The makeshift A-frame where David Lidstone lived off the grid for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., is shown in an undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon. The structure was burned while Lidstone was jailed for refusing to vacate the property. – Jodie Gedeon via AP
Part of the makeshift home where David Lidstone lived off the grid for nearly three decades in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., is shown in an undated photo provided by Jodie Gedeon. – Jodie Gedeon via AP
The burning remains of David Lidstone’s home are shown in an Aug. 4, 2021 photo provided by the Canterbury (N.H.) Fire Department. David Lidstone lived off the grid at the site until he was jailed for refusing to leave the property. The structure burned while he was in jail. – Canterbury Fire Department via AP
David Lidstone, who lived in an isolated makeshift home in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., for nearly three decades, is shown in an undated photo by his friend Jodie Gedeon. – Jodie Gedeon via AP
David Lidstone, 81, right, is hugged by friend Jodie Gedeon after he was released from Merrimack County Jail in Boscawen, N.H., Aug. 5, 2021. Gedeon, an avid kayaker, befriended Lidstone some 20 years ago. – Geoff Forester / Concord Monitor via AP
David Lidstone, an off-the-grid New Hampshire hermit known to locals as “River Dave,” speaks during a status conference hearing in Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord, N.H., Aug. 11, 2021. The court determined that Lidstone could retrieve his cats, chickens and remaining possessions from the remote site where he lived as a squatter for 27 years. Lidstone was in jail for refusing to leave the property when his makeshift home on the site was burned. – AP Photo / Elise Amendola
David Lidstone reacts as he leaves Merrimack County Superior Court after a status conference hearing in Concord, N.H., Aug. 11, 2021. – AP Photo / Elise Amendola
David Lidstone speaks to members of the media outside Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord, N.H., after a status conference hearing, Aug. 11, 2021. – AP Photo / Elise Amendola
David Lidstone, 81, speaks with reporters during an interview in Boscawen, N.H., Aug. 10, 2021. Lidstone, known to locals as “River Dave,” lived off the grid in as a squatter in the woods of Canterbury, N.H., for 27 years. He was jailed in July for refusing to leave his makeshift home and was told he’d be released if he agreed to leave the site. His cabin burned down while he was jailed. – AP Photo / Steven Senne
David Lidstone, 81, left, stands for a photograph with his friend Jodie Gedeon in Boscawen, N.H., Aug. 10, 2021. – AP Photo / Steven Senne
David Lidstone, 81, sits for a photograph near the Merrimack River, in Boscawen, N.H., Aug. 10, 2021. – AP Photo / Steven Senne
David Lidstone, 81, stands for a photograph near the Merrimack River, in Boscawen, N.H., Aug. 10, 2021. –
David Lidstone, 81, sits near the Merrimack River, in Boscawen, N.H., Aug. 10, 2021. Lidstone, an off-the-grid New Hampshire hermit known to locals as “River Dave,” lost the isolated cabin along the river where he lived as a squatter for 27 years. He says he’s grateful and overwhelmed by fundraising efforts and offers of a place to live. “I feel about as good as I ever have in my life,” Lidstone told the AP in an Aug. 8 phone interview. “Maybe the things I’ve been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life,” he said. He doesn’t think he can return to his hermit lifestyle. – AP Photo / Steven Senne
McCormack turned the dramatic developments into a powerful story by fleshing out the details of Lidstone’s life and the local efforts to help him stay put. Through court records and interviews with family and friends,she learned he was a U.S. Air Force veteran,had four children and had been severely injured in a logging accident. And unlike another man living off the grid in Maine — the “North Pond Hermit” — McCormack reported that Lidstone had no police record. She ended by noting that it was unclear where Lidstone would go once released from jail.
The story was an immediate hit on social media and ultimately captured more than 535,000 pageviews on APNews, making it the site’s most popular story of the week.
In the following days,McCormack and colleagues continued to chronicle Lidstone’s saga, including the outpouring of support which he gratefully received and his release from jail after a judge determined he likely wouldn’t return to the woods since the cabin burned down. In an all-formats package just a week after the initial story, Lidstone noted the global reaction to his story and told McCormack he thinks it’s time to give up his reclusive lifestyle. Boston photographers Elise Amendola and Steven Senne made storytelling images after Lidstone’s release from jail and Boston’s Rodrique Ngowi delivered on the video. Significant assists came from fellow reporters Michael Casey,Patrick Whittle and Holly Ramer,with key edits to the evolving story by Donna Edwards and Ryan Kryska.
“I’ve hidden too many years,” said Lidstone,who has been staying with friends. “Maybe the things I’ve been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life.”
For bringing this engaging story to life and her persistence in following it through, McCormack wins AP’s Best of the Week award.
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