12% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #301 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 60 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1942 on, and the census since 1810.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washington Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #301 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washington Township’s overall grade.
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 Washington Township’s 58.6 sits above most of its state (86% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 89 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% 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 (±3.6 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 Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The French labeled the area "Wissameking", meaning "catfish place", as early as 1757.
The area of Washington was settled by many immigrants from Scotland and the north of Ireland along with settlers from eastern and central parts of the Colony of Virginia, first settled around 1768.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed an act on March 28, 1781, establishing the County of Washington and naming "Catfish Camp" as the place for holding the first election.
Passages that mention Washington Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Franklin county, Pennsylvania1887 · page 589Read the page →
Read the text
Washington Township, which then included what is now Quincy Township, in 1786 had the following taxables: Stophel Adams.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Franklin county, Pennsylvania1887 · page 611Read the page →
Read the text
Possibly this township was created in the latter part of 1837, but as there are no records left to verify this, we adopt the safer plan and conclude it was ordered by the court in the early part of 1838. The territory was taken from Washington Township and the reader will find there a tolerably full account of many of the early settlers. The population from the earliest was a mixed one. In this respect it had some advantages over any other new settlement in the county, embracing both Germans and Scotch-Irish, producing a race of good and brave men and fair women — blessed mothers in Israel whose descendants
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 Township, 1790 to 1950
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Washington Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1942Hagerstown sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Washington Township.
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 viewKoreshan David Walker Scott in, 1865
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Washington Township’s page.
Washington Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #301 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. 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 Township?
8 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Springdale Mills (listed 1975, the first), 1 historic district, the Monterey Historic District, with 60 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 89 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Washington Township?
12% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, 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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