The town of Whitefield is one of the most historic communities in New Hampshire, having been chartered on July 4, 1774—approximately two years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last town in the state to be organized by the colonial English government. Some historians believe the settlement’s name honored a man named George Whitefield, who was a famous English evangelist and patron of Dartmouth College. But others speculate that it was related to the glimmer of the nearby fields when they were covered in snow during the winter. Nevertheless, the town was formally incorporated two decades after the American Revolution. Some of its earliest inhabitants included Jeremy Belknap—one of America’s earliest historians—and John Langdon, who later became the 2nd Governor of New Hampshire. The community remained largely pastoral, too, even after the Boston and Maine Railroad arrive in the mid-19th century. Tourists soon followed from coastal New England though, who were enchanted by the town’s tranquil ambiance and historical character. Soon enough, several local families developed inns and hotels that could accommodate the town’s numerous visitors. The Dodge family’s Mountain View House emerged as the favorite among the tourists, becoming a local landmark by the height of the Gilded Age. Whitefield remains a popular vacation getaway today, as it hosts hundreds of visitors every year. Its historic downtown square serves as its central attraction, for its wonderful historic architecture is among the best preserved in the entire state.

Whitefield itself resides within the beautiful White Mountains of northern New Hampshire. Covering some 87 miles, it marks the northernmost end of the great Appalachian Mountains. Its peaks reach some of the highest elevations in the entire United States, too, with a few even reaching as far as 6,000 feet into the air. The most iconic mountaintops within the range are centered in what is called the “Presidential Range.” Its name is derived from the fact that the tallest summits are named after several prominent U.S. Presidents. Those individuals are as follows:

• George Washington, 1st President of the United States
• John Adams, 2nd President of the United States
• Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States
• James Monroe, 4th President of the United States
• James Madison, 5th President of the United States
• John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States
• Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States (and New Hampshire’s only resident to occupy the Oval Office)
• Dwight D. Eisenhower, 35th President of the United States

All the mountains can be seen from miles away, with the largest—Mount Washington—visible out in the Gulf of Maine. Mount Washington itself serves as a training ground for experienced hikers who plan to climb such harrowing destinations as Mount Everest and K2. In order for nature enthusiasts to traverse the steep topography of the greater the Presidential Range, local outdoorsmen mapped several massive trails throughout the countryside. Among the most historic of those pathways are the Crawford Franconia notches, which countless people have navigated for centuries. The nearby Franconia Notch has even been designated by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Natural Landmark. As such, the White Mountains region of New Hampshire is among the most vibrant outdoor destinations in the entire country.

Ralph Barton: While the Mountain View Grand Golf Course has had many individuals work on it over the years, the most influential was Ralph Barton. A New Hampshire native, Barton was a lifelong academic who attended some of the best universities in America. Indeed, he completed coursework at Harvard University and the University of Chicago before finally graduating from Dartmouth College in 1904. Barton’s love for the academy eventually netted him a job at the school, where he served as one of its mathematics instructors for a few years. He then hoped around within the administration of a few more universities, including Lombard College, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Minnesota. Upon arriving at the University of Minnesota in 1916, he quickly saw that a bunch of his fellow colleagues were in the middle of organizing a golf club for the campus staff. The greatest task involved the creation of a nine-hole course in St. Paul on the University’s behalf. An avid golfer himself, Barton joined the group and spearheaded the creation of the course. In fact, he was even put in charge of its construction, due to his prior experience working for the Hanover Country Club. Nevertheless, the University of Minnesota lost control over the course not long after its debut, prompting Barton and his fellow golfers to construct a replacement. Barton partnered with the talented Seth Raynor to create an even larger 18-hole course, which eventually opened as “Midland Hills.” Barton’s work on the course deeply impressed Raynor to the point where he hired the schoolteacher to be one of his associates! Now a full-fledged golf course architect, Barton proceeded to design several courses over the following decades. Among his most impressive projects included the Sleeping Giant Golf Course, the Laconia Country Club, and the Mountain View Grand Golf Club. He even assisted Raynor craft some of his own courses, too, such as the holes at the renowned Mid Ocean Club.

Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States (1921 – 1923)

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (1953 – 1961), and Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II.