On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washington is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washington’s overall grade.
Maine towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Maine town has 15.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Washington’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (10% of Maine towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.0 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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.
Washington, Maine, was first settled in 1797 by the Nelson family. At that time it was known as Putnam, named after General Israel Putnam, a war hero. It was officially renamed Washington in 1825. One early item of interest in Washington's history was the "paint mine". There was a large deposit of red and yellow ocher in a nearby cave, which may have been used by people who lived here three to five thousand years ago and who used large quantities of ocher, normally red, to cover both the bodies of the dead and the burial artifacts. Archaeologists refer to these people as "Red Paint People". The red panel at the hoist of the Official Town Flag refers to these people.
some time as a clerk, he went into business for himself and conducted a general store until 1845. In 1843 he was elected State Senator from Washington County, and in 1845 he was appointed Surveyor of the Port of Eastport, an office which he held for four years. He then retired and spent the rest of his life in ease and quiet, dying July 28, 1881. His
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
P'rom 1861 to 1862 he was engaged in the stage-coach business between Bangor and Brownville. Then he was employed in the United States Arsenal at Washington for two years, and was present when Booth's body was brought into Washington. Afterward, returning to Bangor, he drove a stage for two years between Orono and the upper Stillwater. He
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, 1884 to 1979
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.
Washington is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Washington?
22% of Washington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 19% for a Maine town; the median home was built in 1987.
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 (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
2012