There are White Mountain peaks honoring patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence, but Mt. Washington is not one of them. When the declaration was signed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 General George Washington was in New York with his troops.
Mount Adams (John Adams) and Mount Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson) are both named for presidents who had been signers of the Declaration of Independence. In an interesting historical coincidence, both Adams and Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing.
There are other summits in the Presidential Range and elsewhere in the White Mountains named for signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mt Sam Adams, a sub-summit of Mt Adams, was named for a cousin of John Adams who was also one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mount Franklin was named for Benjamin Franklin.
Elsewhere in the Whites, Mount Hancock is named after John Hancock, whose bold signature of the document made his name a synonym for signatures. Although not a 4000-footer, Bartlett Haystack forming the north side of Bear Notch was named after another of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Dr. Josiah Bartlett.
There are others, as well as some curious associations. A sub-summit west of Mount Starr King is named for Colonel Joseph Whipple. Joseph did not sign the declaration, but his brother William did. It is believed that the portrait of William that hangs in Independence Hall is in reality that of his brother Joseph. Although not otherwise associated with the Declaration of Independence, Joseph is a significant figure in New Hampshire’s history.
While there are White Mountain peaks honoring patriots including signers of the Declaration of Independence, but there aren’t any major peaks named after Presidents or signers of the Declaration of Independence in the Adirondack Mountains. Place names in the Adirondacks can be quite fascinating but tend to be named after their geologic features or after personalities with a more local stature.
A couple of the county names in the Adirondack region do have a tie-in to signers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin County covering a significant area including Tupper And Saranac Lakes north to the Canadian border is named for Benjamin Franklin. Lewis County is named for the son of one of the signers, Morgan Lewis, who was a governor of New York State. Morgan’s father Francis Lewis was one of the signatories on July 4, 1776. And of course, Washington County covering an area east of Lake George and along the Vermont border was named for our first President.
Happy Independence Day and Happy hiking!
