NH Punkin Chunkin

This site caught our attention in rural Greenfield, NH

Admittedly, it’s not what we expected to see on a fall drive in rural Greenfield, NH, recently. It looked like rusting turrets and an assortment of equipment. Of course, we had to stop. 

This drawbridge was in the small on-site pond

The question then became, what was this place at one time? Perhaps it was an abandoned construction site, but then what was that drawbridge all about? (We never did find that.)

Yankee Siege Main Gate

Curious, we pulled off the roadway and saw these giant gates. Despite their deteriorating state, they were still quite elaborate and decorative. These front and rear views show that there’s a door at the base of each tower. According to an article, there are steel rungs inside to climb to the top of the turret (which we didn't try).

We wandered around the site exploring and taking photos. The name Yankee Siege was but spelled out in chain links on the entrance gates. The gates didn't close off the area and could be simply be walked around to enter a large field filled with all manner of dilapidated equipment and other items.

What exactly was Yankee Siege? 

Once home we checked online and learned that the site had such a short history. For several years in the early 2000s, its main attraction was the Yankee Siege trebuchet, a replica medieval style war machine, which used a swinging arm to hurl stones or other items. In this case it was pumpkins and other things. In simplest terms, it resembled an oversize catapult, but wasn't exactly the same. That's because catapults get their power by tension from springs or ropes. Whereas, trebuchets fling their cargo based on the forces of gravity.

Trebuchets are thought to have originated in China and were further refined in the Mid-East and Europe. From 1300-1500, the trebuchet was the ultimate military siege weapon. It would be built just outside a castle to be seized, positioned out of range of the bow and arrow. Trebuchets could hurl 250 lb. rocks at the castle wall trying to repeatedly hit the same spot on the wall, causing the thick walls to collapse. The invention of the cannon, around 1500, signaled the end of its reign.

What’s the backstory in this NH field?

Steven Seigars, a dentist, and his wife, Kathy, ran The Yankee Farmer, a nursery and farm stand in Greenfield, NH, in what might be described as the middle of nowhere. The story goes that, after watching a program on medieval trebuchets, Seigars decided that building one would attract more roadside business. Being inexperienced in building an oversize weapon of warfare wasn’t an obstacle as friends and family, including welders, machinists, and construction contractors, helped build an elaborate firing range and theme park across from the farm stand. Most things were made of metal. A hefty anchor chain was used to make the medieval-looking chain fence; each link weighed in at over 80 pounds. Construction took more than 2 years. The site opened to the public in 2004. 

Former Yankee Siege concession stand. Greenfield, NH

The tower above was a former concession stand. There were also remains of what looked like a granite seating area. That granite bench in the second photo was not only hard, but cold too.

Granite seating area at Yankee Siege (perhaps a photo opp?)

The Yankee Siege trebuchet didn’t hurl rocks, but pumpkins available from the farm that Seigars operated. According to online sources, the popular attraction drew large crowds during the peak autumn season to see pumpkins being chucked as well as furniture and appliances, including a refrigerator and a piano. The sale of pumpkins not used as ammunition also increased. 

Yankee Siege Trebuchet, Greenfield, NH

This was a massive weapon that stood nearly 60 feet high and weighed in at 26 tons. It sat on four 10-foot wheels that weighed over 2,500 pounds each. Its counterweight could be filled with 10 tons of rocks and could hurl a 300-pound projectile a quarter-mile or over. It was built of oak, steel, and materials bought from Mid-City Steel, a MA warehouse of used steel and metal parts. It was reportedly fast and quiet for its size. Seigars built two trebuchets, Yankee Siege I and Yankee Siege II.

Spiked mace at Yankee Siege

Another weapon of destruction on this site is a 14-foot high, 10,000 pound spiked mace. As part of the public show, it would be heisted up by a crane then dropped onto large items, including vehicles. The crane, which is still onsite, can be seen behind it in the photo above.

Yankee Castle was the punkin chunkin target at Yankee Siege 

What's a large gate without a castle? The oil-drum Yankee Castle was built some 600 feet away as a target. But, the trebuchet was hurling pumpkins often over 2,000 feet. Years ago, the drawbridge and path leading up to it were landscaped and lined with pumpkins. The towers had a chamber below, each with a different painted scene. Between pumpkin launches, visitors could explore the castle. Now, everything is overgrown. While there's online videos of others who've visited the site and entered the castle in recent years, we did not attempt access.

Yankee Siege turret with maiden

That's why this second turreted tower was built and manned by a volunteer with a range finder to determine how far the pumpkins were hurled. It came complete with a damsel in the window and a message on the front (Entrapped here she'll stay until time takes her beauty away). A fake door was painted in the front of the tower; a real door in the rear allowed access to the top.

The site closed in 2010. According to an online source, part of the reason was that the team got so good at chunking pumpkins great distances that the site became too small. Despite checking online, no other information was found. The farm stand and pumpkin business is also closed.

In its heyday, the Yankee Siege trebuchet won several Punkin Chunkin world championships and also set world distance records. It now sits idle and rusting. The top half has been removed, but the giant wheeled-base is on display in the field. 

Onsite there's also a collection of various equipment, including a smaller trebuchet and apparently abandoned construction equipment.

Assortment of items at Yankee Siege site

Seigars and his team were catapulting pumpkins for years before learning about the annual Punkin Chunkin competition, a pumpkin hurling contest formerly held in Milton, DE. Taking Yankee Siege apart for the 500-mile trip was a major undertaking that required disassembly and using a tractor-trailer, and other trucks and trailers. It threw a pumpkin further than any trebuchet ever did before setting a world record. In more recent years, the competition has relocated to IL.

The Yankee Siege reportedly is retired due to the high cost of competing. Not only did it need to be taken apart and transported using heavy-duty equipment, but there were team members tp house and feed which led to competition costs in excess of $10,000.

This abandoned roadside attraction was quite the unexpected adventure. To answer a fellow
blogger's question, we did see a No Trespassing sign. That said, there were no enclosures and the area is completely open and unfenced as the photos show. During our 30 minute exploration, we walked around and saw a couple other curiosity seekers who stopped. We left our footprints and took away these photos. 

None of the artifacts showed signs of graffiti, just the ravages of time and the elements, perhaps due to this rural location. We suspect that Yankee Siege still draws much roadside rubbernecking and stops from the curious, like ourselves.

A post next week will include another unexpected and very unique roadside attraction. This one is in MA and not only invites, but attracts visitors of all ages.