It would not be a stretch to say that Bronson Potter was an eccentric gentleman. He graduated from Harvard University and also attended the Sorbonne in Paris. While working in the young field of technology he was a successful inventor who sued the Polaroid Corporation for stealing his patent on a key part of the famous instant camera. He won and it’s said the royalties helped pay for the 500 hundred acres of land he purchased in Mason NH and bequeathed to the town upon his death.
He came to Mason in the 1960’s and passed away there and was buried in the Prospect Hill Cemetery in 2004 at the age of 74. Bronson Potter’s connection to the Greenville Trestle that is notable.
On the Fourth of July in 1979 he flew his small single engine airplane down into the gorge of the Soughegan River and under the 97 foot high Greenville Trestle. The plane had a wing span of between 35 and 40 feet and he flew between two piers only 74 feet apart ! The FAA took away Potter’s pilot’s license but judging by his gravestone the incident was a memorable part of his distinguished life.
I met him but never got to hang out with him. Ollie and Peter Russell were good friends of his, and the trio made ATVs out of old VWs and traversed many of the old logging roads in the area. My neighbor, Helen Perry, was his significant other for many years. They had a son named after Bronson. Helen and Bronson were both Mensa members. I could never beat Helen in chess. I didn't see the aerial event because I was at Columbia at the time.
Excellent photos
It would not be a stretch to say that Bronson Potter was an eccentric gentleman. He graduated from Harvard University and also attended the Sorbonne in Paris. While working in the young field of technology he was a successful inventor who sued the Polaroid Corporation for stealing his patent on a key part of the famous instant camera. He won and it’s said the royalties helped pay for the 500 hundred acres of land he purchased in Mason NH and bequeathed to the town upon his death.
He came to Mason in the 1960’s and passed away there and was buried in the Prospect Hill Cemetery in 2004 at the age of 74. Bronson Potter’s connection to the Greenville Trestle that is notable.
On the Fourth of July in 1979 he flew his small single engine airplane down into the gorge of the Soughegan River and under the 97 foot high Greenville Trestle. The plane had a wing span of between 35 and 40 feet and he flew between two piers only 74 feet apart ! The FAA took away Potter’s pilot’s license but judging by his gravestone the incident was a memorable part of his distinguished life.
I regret missing that event. I was living in town at that time but was unaware of the many eccentrics that I would eventually learn about.
I met him but never got to hang out with him. Ollie and Peter Russell were good friends of his, and the trio made ATVs out of old VWs and traversed many of the old logging roads in the area. My neighbor, Helen Perry, was his significant other for many years. They had a son named after Bronson. Helen and Bronson were both Mensa members. I could never beat Helen in chess. I didn't see the aerial event because I was at Columbia at the time.
Bronson Potter flew his plane under that trestle. https://vimeo.com/371541383
What happened to the replacement metal bridge?
https://newenglandrailandstone.com/2018/12/23/the-greenville-trestle/
Thanks!