River Dave is a very special man. Some refer to him as a hermit. He lives on the r banks of the Merrimack River. He had been living at this cabin that he made for nearly three decades. However, he was charged with trespassing once the owner wanted him removed. After four hours of being in court a fire destroyed his cabin. The judge released him saying “he would have less incentive to return to this place in the woods” according to KXAN News.

Lidstone otherwise known as “River Dave” lived there for three decades, he was self sufficient in a way where he provided for himself with food, firewood, and animals all with the surrounding land. He also built the whole cabin himself. With the claims against him, the property owner wanted him to be removed from his property as he was seen as a squatter. He was challenged in court. The place where River Dave lives is right off route 93 and is used for timber harvests. It has been family owned since 1963 and is over 73 acres. Lidstone made claims that the owner said he could stay on the property. However this “agreement” was not in writing or confirmed. Instead, the owner said that they did not approve of Lidstone being there.

I had the privilege of meeting River Dave on a kayak trip down the Merrimack for a class. He was an interesting man that had his quirks, but he was very intriguing to talk to and listen to his stories. He told us about his past, he was in the Navy for a while, he told us about the Merrimack and what the farmers and the people along it were dumping in. He told us about all his encounters with the courts and what happened during them. You can tell from looking at the property how it was made shift and hobbled together, we found it just North of Concord. He grew grapes and had a big garden. He also loved his chickens. They were wandering around when we arrived and he invited us up.

There has been overwhelming support for River Dave.Hhe has been given almost 200,000 dollars to rebuild somewhere else. So far we have no known information on his whereabouts, the house was burnt down in a fire. The new owners have not commented on what they are going to do with the newly recovered section of land. He has most of the support from the community around him and people are rooting for him to get back on his feet.