1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.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 78% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washington’s overall grade.
New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Washington’s 24.8 sits above most of its state (67% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1776.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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.
Granted in 1735 by colonial governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, the town was one of the fort towns designated to protect the colonies from Native attack, named "Monadnock Number 8". In 1751, the town was granted by Governor Benning Wentworth as "New Concord". As the grant was never settled, the charter was revoked. Reuben Kidder of New Ipswich acquired the grant, naming it "Camden". The first settlers arrived in 1768 and built log houses. By 1773, the community had 132 inhabitants. On December 13, 1776, the newly established American revolutionary government incorporated the town as "Washington", after George Washington—one of the first named in his honor.
Passages that mention Washington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Washington, New Hampshire, from the first settlement to the present time, 1768-18861886 · page 49Read the page →
Read the text
The petition of the freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Washington humbly shows that the township of Washington was laidout within the curve line of Mason's grant, and so they settled and made their farms, and continued for a number of years in a quiet and peaceable manner, till the last tax went out from the state, when the selectmen of Marlow and Lempster thought proper to lay a tax on some part of the lands within the lines of the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Washington, New Hampshire, from the first settlement to the present time, 1768-18861886 · page 12Read the page →
Read the text
by six and one half, and contained fifty-two square miles, which is more thanthe present limits of the town include. At a town meeting held in 1786 it was "voted to set off to New Bradford that part of Washington which lies east of a line drawn from the north-west corner of Hillsborough with a strait line to the north line of that part of Washington, which is included in Col. Kidder's Charter, being three miles from the north-east corner of
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.
By decade
Washington, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1776, according to Wikidata. Washington’s post office opened in 1802, and the first U.S. census counted 545 people here in 1790.
How does Washington rank for history?
Washington is more historic than 78% 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.
What is on the National Register in Washington?
One place: the Washington Common Historic District (listed 1986).
How old are the homes in Washington?
15% of Washington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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.
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