“That Gives Me the Willies” Saying Has New Hampshire Connection

If you ever wondered where the phrase “That gives me the Willies” comes from, the best answer comes from Crawford Notch in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

The story goes that on August 28, 1826, torrential rains caused a mudslide on Mount Willey, where the Willey family, mom, dad and five children, lived in a small house in the notch between Mounts Willey and Webster.

They ran from their home with the help of two hired men to escape the landslide, but all seven Willeys and the two hired men died in the avalanche. The Willey home was left standing.

Rescuers later found an open Bible on a table in the home, indicating that the family ran trying to escape the landslide. Hard to believe that if they stayed in the home, they would have survived!

The Willey House is on route 302 in Hart’s Location.