–Not graded

History · Washington

18% of Washington’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1980.

0on the National Register

18%homes built before 1940

What stands out about 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 writtenNo old photos of Washington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Washington, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19093 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1983. Watch Washington change.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Washington’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Washington’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Newberg Corners

1875–1900

Middle Ridge

1878–1900

18701950today

Hamlets and corners on the map

Middle RidgeNewberg Corners

Gone or out of use

Dahlen SchoolschoolMeadowbrook SchoolschoolMiddle Ridge SchoolschoolNorth Ridge SchoolschoolVictory Schoolschool

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Washington

North RidgeSaint Peter'sUrbanek Family

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

On the map

Washington on the map, 1909 to 1983

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

1909Sparta 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.

The story so far

Washington, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Washington yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Washington is a town in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 519 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Middle Ridge and Newberg Corners are located in the town.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 558 to 519 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Washington in 1881

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

Port Washington for five years. The act was passed January 25, 1847, and its provisions were as follows : Section 1. That for the term of five years from and after the passage of this act. the seat of justice of the county of Washington shall be established at the village of Washington, on Section … — History of Washington and Ozaukee counties, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers1881 · page 335Read the page →
Read the text
Port Washington for five years. The act was passed January 25, 1847, and its provisions were as follows : Section 1. That for the term of five years from and after the passage of this act. the seat of justice of the county of Washington shall be established at the village of Washington, on Section 28, Township 11, Range 22 east ; and all district courts to be held in and for said county, during said time, shall be held at the public schoolhouse in said village, until some other and more suitable place shall be provided for that purpose.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

But it is to be remembered that the same result would be reached if that part of the original county of Washington, which now retains the name, had been set off from the remaining part of the county and called by another name ; this would clearly have given the Legislature power to establish a coun… — History of Washington and Ozaukee counties, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers1881 · page 345Read the page →
Read the text
But it is to be remembered that the same result would be reached if that part of the original county of Washington, which now retains the name, had been set off from the remaining part of the county and called by another name ; this would clearly have given the Legislature power to establish a county seat for the county thus set off, for it wonld have had none within its limits ; and by passing an act annexing Washington County to it, the only result would be the removal of the county seat of the original county of Washington and the change of its name, which, of course, the Legislature could by another act restore.
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, 1875 to 1909

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

19th century
1875Post officeThe Newberg Corners post office opens
1878Post officeThe Middle Ridge post office opens
20th century
1900Post officeThe Newberg Corners post office closes
1900Post officeThe Middle Ridge post office closes
1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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People over time

Washington, census by census

Between 711 and 745 people in every census since 1980.

4 censuses, 1980–2010.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

PortlandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town CoonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town GreenfieldIts storyC⁻BangorIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Washington’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From 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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