Washington, Kentucky facts for kids
Washington is a historic neighborhood in the city of Maysville, Kentucky. It's located near the Ohio River in Mason County. Washington is one of the very first settlements in Kentucky and one of the earliest American towns built west of the Appalachian Mountains.
This area played an important part in the time leading up to the American Civil War. It was home to two Civil War generals, one who fought for the Union and one for the Confederacy. Washington was also where an enslaved man named Thornton Blackburn escaped, and his legal case helped make Canada a safe place for other people escaping slavery. Famous author Harriet Beecher Stowe also visited Washington and saw a slave auction here, which inspired her famous book. Today, Washington is part of Maysville and is often called Old Washington.
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History of Washington
Washington was started in 1786 by Arthur Fox and William Wood. Fox was a soldier from the Revolutionary War, and Wood was a preacher. They bought the land from Simon Kenton, who was an early explorer and settler of the area.
Some of the first leaders of the town included Daniel Boone. When it was founded, Washington was part of Virginia, because Kentucky was not yet its own state. People believe Washington was the very first place named after George Washington.
Many of the first people who settled here were veterans from the Revolutionary War. We know that 17 of these veterans are buried in Washington. By 1790, Washington had 462 residents, including 21 enslaved people. It was the second largest town in what would become Kentucky, with only Lexington being bigger.
One early settler was Captain Thomas Marshall, a Revolutionary War soldier. He was the brother of John Marshall, who later became a very important judge. Captain Marshall's parents also moved to Washington and lived in the Marshall Home, which you can still see today.
Early Services and Important Cases
The first post office in this entire region opened in Washington in 1789. This post office served a huge area, including places that are now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The third postmaster, William Murphy, built a large house that is still standing. The original post office building was in his front yard but was taken down later.
Thornton Blackburn was an enslaved person who lived in William Murphy's house from 1815 to 1824. He later moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and then escaped with his wife to Detroit. In Detroit, he was arrested. After some trouble, he and his wife escaped again, this time to Canada.
Canada did not allow slavery, but it did return criminals to the U.S. Thornton's former owners tried to get him back by saying he was a criminal for escaping. However, they lost their case in a Canadian court. This important decision helped establish that enslaved people who reached Canada were free and safe. It made Canada a true safe place for those on the Underground Railroad. This case also helped create Canada's first refugee law.
After gaining his freedom, Thornton Blackburn moved to Toronto. There, he started the city's first horse-drawn taxi service and became quite successful. Even today, Toronto's public transport uses the yellow and red colors that Thornton chose for his taxis.
National Attention and Famous Visitors
Washington gained national attention in 1830. On May 27, President Andrew Jackson stopped a bill that would have allowed the government to help pay for a road. This road would have connected Lexington with Washington and the Ohio River at Maysville. It was meant to be part of a larger national road system. However, President Jackson saw it as a local road that would mostly benefit his political rival, Henry Clay, so he vetoed the bill.
In 1833, Washington had a very famous visitor: Harriet Beecher. She later became known as Harriet Beecher Stowe after she married. At the time, she was a teacher in Cincinnati. She came to Washington to visit a student and saw a slave auction happening in front of the old courthouse. This auction, along with other experiences she had with slavery, inspired her to write her famous book, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Her book mentions Washington several times. The character of Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin is thought to be based on a woman named Jane Anderson, who lived in Washington. The house where Harriet Beecher Stowe stayed, called the Key House, is still on Main Street in Washington. It is now a museum called the Harriet Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum.
Military Leaders and Other Notables
Albert Sidney Johnston was born in Washington in 1803. He is probably the most famous person from the town. He went to West Point, a military academy. He served in the U.S. Army, then resigned to join the Army of the Republic of Texas. He became a high-ranking general and even Secretary of War for Texas. He later rejoined the U.S. Army before resigning again in 1861 to join the Confederacy during the Civil War. He was a commander for the Confederacy and died at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. His house in Washington is still much like it was when he lived there and is now a museum.
Following in Johnston's footsteps was General William "Bull" Nelson. His father was also a doctor in Washington, and Nelson lived in the same house as Johnston. He also went to West Point. When the Civil War began, Nelson fought for the Union. He was on the opposite side at the Battle of Shiloh, where Johnston was killed. Nelson himself was shot and killed by another Union officer later in 1862.
Charles William Forman (1821–1894) was also from Washington. He founded Forman Christian College University in Lahore, Pakistan. He went to a religious school and in 1847 was sent as a missionary to India by the Washington Presbyterian Church. He started the first English-speaking school in the Punjab region, which grew into one of Pakistan's leading universities. Many important leaders, including presidents and prime ministers, have graduated from there. The ruins of the old Forman Home can still be seen in Washington.
Other notable people who lived in Washington in the early 1800s include Lorrin Andrews. He taught school in Washington and later founded what became the University of Hawaii. Also, Zachary Taylor briefly worked as a military recruiter in Washington before becoming a successful general and the 12th President of the United States.
Washington Today
Washington's importance began to lessen in the 1840s. Maysville, which was located right on the Ohio River, became the larger town. In 1848, Maysville replaced Washington as the county seat of Mason County. Washington has not grown much since the 1840s.
Much of the old part of Washington still looks like it did in the late 1700s and early 1800s, with many original log cabins remaining. There are five museums in Washington, including the Albert Sidney Johnston/Bull Nelson House and the Marshall Key House where Harriet Beecher Stowe stayed. Another museum is a 1787 log cabin called Mefford's Fort. Washington has a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1990, Washington officially became part of the City of Maysville.
Notable people
- Thornton Blackburn (1812–1890), an enslaved person who escaped. His legal case helped make Canada a safe place for others escaping slavery.
- David Horace Clift (1907–1972), a well-known librarian and leader of the American Library Association.
- Charles William Forman (1821–1894), a missionary who founded Forman Christian College University (FCCU) in Pakistan.
- Albert Sidney Johnston (1803–1862), a military leader who commanded the Army of the Republic of Texas and was a general for the Confederacy during the Civil War. He died at the Battle of Shiloh.
