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.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 708 to 777 (+10%).
–Not graded
History · Washington
16% of Washington’s homes were built before 1940
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 15 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1960 on and old-book passages.
8on the National Register
16%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.
★ 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.On the National Register
8 historic places in Washington
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
8
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
19
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Rock Island Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures
Architectural styles listings
Colonial Revival1
Queen Anne1
Pottawatomie LighthouseBuilt 1836
Pilot Island LightBuilt 1858
Plum Island Range Rear LightBuilt 1896
Thordarson Estate Historic DistrictDistrict
Water TowerBuilding
All 8 listings
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 Washington in 1881
Passages that mention Washington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
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.
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 352Read the page →
Read the text
be paid by Ozaukee to Washington County. The final contract of settlement was as follows : The undersigned, J. C. Downs, Harvey Moore and Adolph Zimmerman, Committee appointed by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the county of Ozaukee, in the State of Wisconsin, and invested with full power to meet a Committee on the part of Washington County, in said State, and to make and adjust a final settlement with said County of Washington, and William Rolin, .lames Holfe and Chauncey Gray, Committee appointed by a resolution of the Hoard of Supervisors of Washington County to meet a Committee on the part of Ozaukee County for the same purpose, and with the same persons, have agreed upon and do hereby agree upon a final settlement of all claims, accounts and indebtedness of every kind, nature and description, between the said counties of Washington and
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, 1836 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1836BuiltPottawatomie Lighthouse is built
- 1858BuiltPilot Island Light is built
- 1892Post officeThe Detroit Harbor post office opens
- 1896BuiltPlum Island Range Rear Light is built
- 20th century
- 1926Post officeThe Detroit Harbor post office closes
- 1926Post officeThe Washington Island post office opens
- 1960
On 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.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
Washington on the map, 1960 to 1982
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Washington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Washington Island 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 Washington.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Washington
Nobody well known was born in Washington itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Detroit Harbor, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Detroit Harbor
Washington Island
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Detroit Harbor
1cemetery inside Washington
Island
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Washington’s history
What is on the National Register in Washington?
8 listings: 3 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Thordarson Estate Historic District and the Plum island Life-Saving and Light Station, with 15 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 1 structure. 19 historic buildings in all.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From the National Register of Historic Places (8), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.