Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Washington Grove

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Washington Grove

Washington Grove dates to 1873, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 11 buildings. Below: maps from 1908 on and the census since 1940.

1873founded
1on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Washington Grove began

When was Washington Grove founded?

1873

Washington Grove dates its founding to 1873 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 160 in 19402020 census: 505153 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓

What stands out about Washington Grove’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 Washington Grove are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 688 in 1970; 505 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19086 editions of the USGS map, 1908 to 1981. Watch Washington Grove change.Old housesHalf of Washington Grove’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Washington Grove’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Washington Grove’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

Washington Grove, census by census

010020030040050060070019401960198020002020Peak: 688

Peaked at 688 in 1970; 505 people lived here in 2020.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

On the map

Washington Grove on the map, 1908 to 1981

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

Washington Grove on the 1908 USGS mapWashington Grove on the 1923 USGS mapWashington Grove on the 1945 USGS mapWashington Grove on the 1950 USGS mapWashington Grove on the 1971 USGS mapWashington Grove on the 1981 USGS map1908Rockville sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story

How Washington Grove came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Washington Grove.

Read it all →

The land where the residential community of Washington Grove now stands, and all of Montgomery County, was traveled and inhabited by indigenous people from around 10,000 BCE. Members of the Massawomeck, Susquehannock, Senaca (Iroquois), and Piscataway-Conoy tribes lived in the area, primarily using the land as crossover territory toward rock shelters, encampments and sizable villages near the Potomac River. Tribal boundaries were fluid.

ChaptersIndigenous occupationColonization by EuropeansTwentieth centuryToday

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Washington Grove, 1873 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873
    FoundingWashington Grove is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Washington Grove post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 688
By decade

Washington Grove, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Zoe Wadsworth Park sign Washington Grove MD 2021-05-08 145817 1 crop2021Zoe Wadsworth Park sign Washington Grove MD 2021-05-0…Woodward Park sign Washington Grove MD 2021-05-08 1500162021Woodward Park sign Washington Grove MD 2021-05-08 150…Washington Grove Meadow Conservation Park sign Washington Grove MD 2021-05-08 151329 12021Washington Grove Meadow Conservation Park sign Washin…Washington Grove Meadow Conservation Park Washington Grove MD 2021-05-08 151340 12021Washington Grove Meadow Conservation Park Washington …Washington Grove MD Welcome Sign 20210508 150357 1 crop 3x22021Washington Grove MD Welcome Sign 20210508 150357 1 cr…Washington Grove Station2012Washington Grove Station
On the National Register

1 listing protects 11 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
11
each building in a district counts
first listed
2020
Washington Grove Historic District
Washington Grove Historic District
Districts
Washington Grove Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Washington Grove

Nobody well known was born in Washington Grove itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Frank MillerAmerican writer, artist, film director · b. 1957
Shane McMahonAmerican businessman and professional wrestler · b. 1970
Darren StarAmerican television producer, writer · b. 1961
Jessica WatkinsUS astronaut · b. 1988
Elden HensonAmerican actor · b. 1977
B
Bruce MurrayAmerican soccer player · b. 1966
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

RedlandIts storyDGaithersburg5 historic placesC+

Questions about Washington Grove’s history

What year was Washington Grove founded?

In 1873, according to Wikidata. Washington Grove’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1940 counted 160 people here.

What is on the National Register in Washington Grove?

One place: the Washington Grove Historic District (listed 2020).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.