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AHistory
History · Washington Township

22% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #189 of 1,035 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Pettit's Ford, the Bridge in Washington Township and the Henry and Elizabeth Berkheimer Farm. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1810.

3on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Washington Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Washington Township’s history

How historic is Washington Township?

A

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Washington Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washington Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #189 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.
Founding eraWithout a firm founding date for Washington Township, this grade rests on its old homes and Register listings–Homes built before 194021.5% of homes (±6.8) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register3 listings, 11 historic buildings, 42.3 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 of 2,500+ (1,035)Ahead of 82%

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 42.3 sits above most of its state (85% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% 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 (±6.8 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.

A town in postcards18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1865–1930.Boom and bustPeaked at 26,280 in 1950; 13,176 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19066 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1999. Watch Washington Township change.
★ What stands out · By decade

Washington Township, decade by decade

6 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s–1890s6 items
Koreshan David Walker Scott in1865Koreshan David Walker Scott in1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Washington County - Washington - ED 63-131 - ED 63-14918801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania …Old Fairgrounds Washington PA 18971897Old Fairgrounds Washington PA 1897Tyler Tube and Pipe Company 18971897Tyler Tube and Pipe Company 1897Washington PA BEye view 18971897Washington PA BEye view 1897Washington, Pennsylvania, 18971897Washington, Pennsylvania, 1897
1910s–1920s5 items
CharlesNBrady1910CharlesNBradyPanoramic view of1911Panoramic view ofWashington PA 1st United Presby PHS6251923Washington PA 1st United Presby PHS625PostcardThe Young Rajah (1922) - 51923The Young Rajah (1922) - 5Washington PA 1st Presby PHS6241923Washington PA 1st Presby PHS624
1930s7 items
East Bean Street, Washington, Penna (84273)c. 1930East Bean Street, Washington, Penna (84273)PostcardHighway entering Washington, Penna., looking east on Route 40 (84272)c. 1930Highway entering Washington, Penna., looking east on …PostcardMcIlvaine Memorial Hall and Jessie Lazear Chemistry Hall, Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Penna (84276)c. 1930McIlvaine Memorial Hall and Jessie Lazear Chemistry H…PostcardNorth Main Street at night, Washington, Penna (84274)c. 1930North Main Street at night, Washington, Penna (84274)PostcardOld main building and gymnasium, Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Penna (84255)c. 1930Old main building and gymnasium, Washington and Jeffe…PostcardSam's Auto Court -- Route 40 -- 8 miles west of Washington, Pa (80073)c. 1930Sam's Auto Court -- Route 40 -- 8 miles west of Washi…PostcardWashington Motel, Washington, Pennsylvania (82085)c. 1930Washington Motel, Washington, Pennsylvania (82085)Postcard
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
People over time

Washington Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,0001850190019502000Peak: 26,280

Peaked at 26,280 in 1950; 13,176 people lived here in 2020.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

On the map

Washington Township on the map, 1906 to 1999

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

Washington Township on the 1906 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1943 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1956 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1963 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1972 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1999 USGS map1906New Cumberland 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 Township.

The story

How Washington Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Washington Township.

Read it all →

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.

Chapters18th century19th century20th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Washington Township in 1886

Passages that mention Washington Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.

east of the Bermudian was settled by the Quakers, and the portion southeast of the same stream by the German Baptists as early as 1735. Washington Township has a variety of soil. A vein of black dolerite crosses it, and also a small vein of copper ore. Iron ore has been taken out at two or three pl…
History of York County Pennsylvania From the Earliest Time to the Present1886 · page 672Read the page →
Read the text

east of the Bermudian was settled by the Quakers, and the portion southeast of the same stream by the German Baptists as early as 1735. Washington Township has a variety of soil. A vein of black dolerite crosses it, and also a small vein of copper ore. Iron ore has been taken out at two or three places in large quantities: Most of the land is now

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
east of the Bermudian was settled by the Quakers, and the portion southeast of the same stream by the German Baptists as early as 1735. Washington Township has a variety of soil. A vein of black dolerite crosses it, and also a small vein of copper ore. Iron ore has been taken out at two or three pl…
History of York County, Pennsylvania1886 · page 672Read the page →
Read the text

east of the Bermudian was settled by the Quakers, and the portion southeast of the same stream by the German Baptists as early as 1735. Washington Township has a variety of soil. A vein of black dolerite crosses it, and also a small vein of copper ore. Iron ore has been taken out at two or three places in large quantities. Most of the land is now

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
1881, took charge of the business himself, at which he has since been very prosperous. In the spring of 1884 he and J. S. Bentz, of Carroll Township, went into business in Washington Township, thus making him one of the four leading business men of this section of the county. In 1880 he was license…
History of York County Pennsylvania From the Earliest Time to the Present1886 · page 107Read the page →
Read the text

1881, took charge of the business himself, at which he has since been very prosperous. In the spring of 1884 he and J. S. Bentz, of Carroll Township, went into business in Washington Township, thus making him one of the four leading business men of this section of the county. In 1880 he was licensed enumerator of Franklin and Washington Townships, and in 1863 was appointed mercantile appraiser of York

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, 1865 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1865In the archiveKoreshan David Walker Scott in
  3. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Pennsylvania - Washington County - Washington - E…
  4. 1887Post officeThe Bigdam post office opens
  5. 1897In the archiveOld Fairgrounds Washington PA 1897
  6. 20th century
  7. 1906Post officeThe Bigdam post office closes
  8. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1910In the archiveCharlesNBrady
  10. 1923In the archiveWashington PA 1st United Presby PHS625
  11. 1930In the archiveEast Bean Street, Washington, Penna (84273)
  12. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 26,280
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.

Koreshan David Walker Scott in
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.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Washington Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
11
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Pettit's Ford
Pettit's FordBridge in Washington TownshipHenry and Elizabeth Berkheimer Farm
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Georgian1
Pennsylvania German1
Vernacular1
Sweitzer Barn1
Pettit's FordGeorgian
Bridge in Washington TownshipStructure
Henry and Elizabeth Berkheimer FarmPennsylvania German

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Another post office, Bigdam, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
BermudianKralltown
Gone or out of use
Hall P ObuildingMinebank Schoolhouseschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Washington Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewKoreshan David Walker Scott in: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Dover TownshipIts storyBParadise Township1 historic placeB+Warrington Township1 historic placeB−Latimore Township2 historic placesB+Franklin Township1 historic placeC+Reading TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Washington Township’s history

How does Washington Township rank for history?

Washington Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #189 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?

Three places: the Pettit's Ford (listed 1983), the Bridge in Washington Township (1988) and the Henry and Elizabeth Berkheimer Farm (2000).

How old are the homes in Washington Township?

22% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1978.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.