The story
Read it all →How East Washington came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of East Washington.
The East Washington Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
AHistory
History · East Washington
East Washington dates to 1892, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 99 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1900.
1892founded
1on the National Register
63%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Quick answers
How East Washington began
When was East Washington founded?
1892
East Washington dates its founding to 1892 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.
First census: 1,051 in 19002020 census: 1,853134 years
How historic is East Washington?
A
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives East Washington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Washington is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Washington’s overall grade.
Founding era1892, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194062.5% of homes (±7.3) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register1 listing, 99 historic buildings, 578 per 10,000 residents · typical PA town 2.1 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 89%
NewerOlder
Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so East Washington’s 578 sits above most of its state (94% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 99 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
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 (±7.3 points). Two sources give 1892.
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 East 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 writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe East Washington Historic District takes in 99 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of East Washington’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,483 in 1960; 1,853 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start East Washington’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how East Washington’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the National Register
1 listing protects 99 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
99
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
East Washington Historic District
Districts
Architectural styles listings
Queen Anne1
Shingle1
Colonial Revival1
Victorian Vernacular1
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
From the old history books
What they wrote about East Washington in 1910
Passages that mention East Washington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
20th century history of the city of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania1910 · page 670Read the page →
Read the text
property also came under their management and subsequently they purchased from the Morgan estate a plat of ground which they platted under the name of the "Morgan Addition to East Washington." One of these additions was so attractive and desirable that the time came when it was made into a separate borough, bringing into existence West Washington. Subsequently, in connection with John W. Donnan, James Kuntz, Jr., A. G. Happer,
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
East Washington, 1850 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1850
In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Washington County - ED 63-… - 1892FoundingEast Washington is established
- 20th century
- 1904
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 2,483
By decade
East Washington, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
On the map
East Washington on the map, 1904 to 1969
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Washington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Amity sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Washington.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Pennsylvania - Washington County - ED 63-75, ED 63-76, ED 63-77, ED 63-…, 1850
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on East Washington’s page.
Retake this view · +15People over time
East Washington, census by census
Peaked at 2,483 in 1960; 1,853 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on East Washington’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to East Washington
Nobody well known was born in East Washington itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
B
Bud YorkinAmerican producer, director, and screenwriter · b. 1926Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about East Washington’s history
What year was East Washington founded?
In 1892, according to Wikidata. the census of 1900 counted 1,051 people here.
How does East Washington rank for history?
East Washington is more historic than 89% 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 East Washington?
One place: the East Washington Historic District (listed 1984).
How old are the homes in East Washington?
63% of East Washington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1938.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.