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FI0003257 North Washington 1930Photo: FortepanIowa · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · North Washington

North Washington’s post office opened in 1856, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1910.

1856first post office
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: FortepanIowa · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How North Washington began

When was North Washington founded?

1856

The North Washington post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 132 in 19102020 census: 112170 years
Founding year: the first North Washington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about North Washington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of North Washington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 159 in 1950; 112 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of North Washington’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start North Washington’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Washington’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

North Washington, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 159

Peaked at 159 in 1950; 112 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on North Washington’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

North Washington, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of North Washington yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

North Washington is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 112 at the time of the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1856. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 117 to 112 (-4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

North Washington, 1856 to 1972

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856Post officeThe North Washington post office opens
  3. 1871Born hereJoe Meyers is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 159
  6. 1967Post officeThe North Washington post office closes
  7. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

North Washington, decade by decade

Today2 recent
FI0003257 North Washington 19302015FI0003257 North Washington 1930IAMap-doton-NorthWashington2004IAMap-doton-NorthWashington
On the map

North Washington on the map, 1972 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Washington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

North Washington on the 1972 USGS mapNorth Washington on the 1985 USGS map1972Ionia sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Washington.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

North Washington had its own post office from 1856 to 1967.

North Washington
1856–1967
18501940today
Gone or out of use
North Washington Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about North Washington’s history

What year was North Washington founded?

The North Washington post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.