Mount Washington: One Prodigious Hilltop

Compiled by New Hampshire Magazine staff, with guest editor Dan Szczesny

Photo by Greg Kretschmar

About our guest editor

We asked author and journalist Dan Szczesny to come on as a guest editor for our special Mt. Washington issue. Over the course of one calendar year, Szczesny explored the history and mystique of New England’s tallest mountain, chronicling his research and adventures in “The White Mountain.” His other books include travelogues on Nepal, Alaska and the White Mountains. He is a Hemingway Foundation finalist for short fiction, and has also written collections of short stories and poetry. Learn more about his work at danszczesny.com.

Each summer, people in way better shape than most of us here at New Hampshire Magazine run up Mt. Washington during the Northeast Delta Dental Road Race. The somewhat disingenuous tagline for the event is “It’s Only One Hill.” That “hill” is 7.6 miles up 4,650 vertical feet with a max grade of 22 percent (translation: wicked steep). As we Granite Staters love to brag, Mt. Washington, at 6,288 feet, is the Northeast’s tallest peak. It is also simultaneously home to the “world’s worst weather” and the observatory that records it, and one of our most popular tourist attractions. It’s claimed more than a few lives, two of them recently, yet thousands ascend the mountain every year on foot, via the Auto Road or the historic Cog Railway. It’s captured the imaginations of artists and poets, helped us better understand climate and weather, played a role in creating the sports of backcountry and extreme skiing, inspired astounding inventions, and generally fascinated folks for hundreds of years. This “one hill” means many different things to many different people, and so we decided to dedicate the June 2019 issue to our famous — and infamous — mountain. The task of covering everything you need to know about Mt. Washington was far too large for us alone, so we asked several of our regular contributors to pitch in. With the additional help of author and journalist Dan Szczesny as guide and guest editor, we’ve compiled 103 facts, photos and quirky items. If there’s ever a Mt. Washington category on “Jeopardy,” consider yourself ready to sweep it.

Editor’s note: The June 2019 print edition features 30+ fascinating pages of photos, facts and stories about Mt. Washington and its history. However, to try and squeeze all of that information into one single page online seemed like a disservice (and visual nightmare), so we have made an attempt to break up the facts and organize them by content categories. We hope you enjoy!

What’s in a Name?

Presidential Range: The 19-mile Presidential Range is located mostly in Coös County, and consists of 13 mountains all named after US presidents (with one exception — see below). The tallest mountain in the range is Mt. Washington and the next is Mt. Adams.

Mount Washington: The famous mountain was technically named after Gen. George Washington, as he was not yet president when it was designated Mt. Washington.

Manasseh Cutler: In 1784, Reverend Manasseh Cutler made a statement containing the words “the base of the summit of Mount Washington,” and so the name was born.

Washington: This might be the most popular place name in the country, but only two towns are named Mount Washington. Mount Washington (a city) is found in Kentucky, and Mount Washington (a town) is found in Massachusetts.

Namesakes

Tuckerman Brewing Company
Located in Conway, Tuckerman Brewing Company is named for Tuckerman Ravine. Many of their beers reference iconic parts of Mount Washington, including their winter seasonal, the 6,288 stout. A portion of the proceeds from this beer is donated to the Mount Washington Observatory.

The S.S. Mount Washington
The S.S. Mount Washington, or “Old Mount,” was a 178-foot-long wooden side-wheeler steamship. Launched in 1872 by the Boston & Maine Railroad, she ferried both people and cargo across Lake Winnipesaukee. By the end of the 19th century, she boarded more than 60,000 people a year. Eventually, the Old Mount became a tourist attraction, and was ultimately destroyed by fire in 1939.

The M/S Mount Washington
The M/S Mount Washington started as the S.S. Mount Washington II. Launched on Lake Winnipesaukee in 1940, it was originally steam-powered — and 25 feet shorter than its current length of 230. Diesel engines replaced steam in 1946, and she was rechristened as M/V Mount Washington. Then, in 1982, the ship was cut down the center and those extra 25 feet were added, reclassifying her as an official ship by maritime standards. Once again the name changed, this time to the M/S Mount Washington. Today, the Mount is one of the state’s most popular tourist attractions, offering a number of scenic cruises around the state’s biggest lake.

The Omni Mount Washington Resort
Opened in 1902 in Bretton Woods, this is one of the state’s few remaining grand hotels, where you can take in views of Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range while surrounded by history, luxury and, legend has it, more than a couple ghosts. When you step inside, it’s easy to imagine the hotel’s heyday at the turn of the century, when the country’s wealthiest families (think the Rockefellers) walked the halls.