The original home of the Mount was Wolfeboro. When the side-wheeler was first built in 1872, she was owned by the Boston & Maine Railroad Company and operated between Wolfeboro, Meredith and Weirs Beach. Her competition was the Lady of the Lake, which was owned by the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad.
In the early days, the side-wheeler made stops at Bear Island, Long Island, Diamond Island and Glendale in addition to her normal ports of call of Center Harbor, Wolfeboro, Alton Bay and the Weirs.
The side-wheeler Mount Washington was built in Alton Bay at a cost of $62,000 while the present-day Mount was built in Lakeport at a cost of $125,000.
The present-day Mount was cut in half back in 1982 and a twenty-four foot section was added to increase her overall length to 230’, beam to 35’ and displacement to over 750 tons.
The first Mount had four Captains in her 67-year history, while the present day Mount has had 12 Captains (5 currently) in her 63 years on the lake.
It takes a minimum of seven crewmembers just to take the ship out of port. However, the Mount usually carries an average of 15 crew each cruise.
Mount Washington Cruises employs 15 people year-round and hires over 100 each year for the operating season.
The Enterprise engines that power the Mount burn only 33 gallons of fuel per hour. This is extremely efficient considering the size of the engines (615 hp each) and the ship.
The Mount is one of the largest restaurants in the state during the summer, serving 100,000 meals each year.
Mount: By the Numbers16+ Captains in its history.
132 Years cruising the lakes of Winnipesaukee.
700 Happy couples that have tied the knot.
800 Approximate weight in tons.
1,500 Number of lifejackets aboard.
100,000 Meals served every summer. This makes the Mount the largest restaurant in the state.