Washington’s post office opened in 1839, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns · #2 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
13 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 276 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
The Washington post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Slaughter (1839), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 2,575 in 18702020 census: 7,352187 years
How historic is Washington?
A+
More historic than 98% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Washington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Washington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washington is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #2 of 140 in Iowa. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washington’s overall grade.
Iowa towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Iowa town has 9.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Washington’s 391 sits above most of its state (99% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 285 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Washington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Washington was founded in 1839 as the county seat of the newly established Washington County. In 1854 it became the home of a United Presbyterian College, which was dissolved in 1864. As of 2014, the town has celebrated its 175th anniversary, only 5 years behind the oldest city in Iowa, Dubuque, Iowa.
In 2016, the Guinness World Book of Records certified the State Theatre in Washington, Iowa, as the "world's oldest continually operating cinema theatre".
Passages that mention Washington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Portrait and biographical album of Washington County, Iowa, containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent1887 · page 666Read the page →
Read the text
In the winter of 1863-64 one more effort was made to incorporate Washington. A petition signed by 193 citizens was filed in the office of the County Judge, asking for its incorporation under the name of the town of Washington. The petition was heard April 4, 1864, and on the 29th of September, 1864, the Maj'or, Recorder and five Trustees were elected. They were Ralph Uewey,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical album of Washington County, Iowa, containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent1887 · page 276Read the page →
Read the text
years of age necessitated his doing something for his own support. He first worked in a brickyard at ten cents per day. In the fall of 1850 the family came to Washington County, Iowa, and settled in Washington. At that time Washington was but a small place with no railroad. L. F. used to drive hogs from Washington to Burlington to market.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Washington County, Iowa from the first white settlements to 1908. Also biographical sketches of some prominent citizens of the county1909 · page 298Read the page →
Read the text
Washington County Old Settlers' Association. — It was founded in 1877, and the first annual meeting was held in Washington, September 6, of that year, and drew an enormous crowd. The procession was five miles long, required one and a half hours to pass a given point, and said point was not a saloon. There were one thousand two hundred vehicles in line, averaging seven person> to the wagon. The first pioneers, dating from 1836, viz., Adam Ritchey, Richard Moore, David Goble, Sr., were represented by the sons George and Simpson Goble. Amos, William and Jesse Moore, Ritchey by his
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Washington, 1839 to 1969
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Washington’s post office has been open since 1839. Another post office, Slaughter, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Slaughter
1839–1839
Washington
1839–today
18301930today
Gone or out of use
Living Lake SchoolschoolSouth Prairie SchoolschoolYoung Log Cabinbuilding
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Washington
Elm GroveWoodlawn
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Washington’s history
What year was Washington founded?
The Washington post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Washington rank for history?
Washington is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns, #2 of 140 in Iowa. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Washington?
13 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Blair House (listed 1973, the first), 3 historic districts, the Washington Downtown Historic District, the Baxter, H.A., Coal Company Historic District and the West Side Residential Historic District, with 276 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 285 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Washington?
39% of Washington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1955.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (13), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
