Washington Historic District (Washington, Kentucky) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Washington Historic District
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Paxton Inn in Washington Historic District
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 Location in Kentucky
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Hoppe St., Bartlett Lane, and city limits on E & W, (original), and extending N & S along U.S. 62 & 68, (increase) Washington, Kentucky |
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| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal (original) and Gothic (increase) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000253 and 76002274 |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1970 (original) May 28, 1976 (increase) |
The Washington Historic District is a special area in Washington, Kentucky. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. This means its buildings and history are important to save. The district's boundaries were made larger in 1976.
The buildings here are very old and show different styles. You can see simple log cabins. There are also grander homes built with bricks made right there. Many houses have two front doors and a special window above them called a transom.
Contents
Historic Buildings and Styles
The important buildings in Washington were built between 1765 and 1850. Back then, new building styles took a while to reach the frontier areas like Kentucky. So, the buildings here might look a bit different from those on the East Coast.
When the historic district was first approved in 1970, eighteen buildings were chosen. These were the most important ones for their history and design. Here are some examples:
- The Paxton Inn (around 1810) was a three-story brick building. It was an early public inn in Kentucky, built in the Federal style.
- The Albert Sidney Johnston House is a simple old wooden house. It is believed to be where Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston was born and grew up.
- Federal Hill (1800) is a two-story brick house. It mixes older Georgian styles with newer Federal details. Colonel Thomas Marshall started building it, and his son finished it. Another son, John Marshall, became a very important judge for the United States.
- The Marshall Key House (1807) is another two-story brick home. It has a Federal style main part with a Georgian style front door. Colonel Marshall Key, who moved to Kentucky in 1795, built it.
- The Arthur Fox House (around 1785) is a two-story wooden house. It was built by one of the first leaders of Washington.
- The town has many different kinds of buildings. There's even a "flat-boat house," which is a very rare type of building. You can also find old banks, inns, churches, a school, and many homes made of logs, wood, brick, and stone.
How Washington Started
Washington began in May 1775. Ten men from Virginia came to explore and claim land. One of them, Jonathan Higgs, built a cabin. A very important person in this group was Simon Kenton. He cleared land nearby.
In 1785, Simon Kenton sold 700 acres of land. Two men from Virginia, Arthur Fox and William Wood, bought it. They decided to plan a town in a square shape, sell lots, and make money. They named the town "Washington." They hoped it might even become the capital city of the United States! It was the first town in America to be named after George Washington.
Washington became successful early on because of its location. Settlers traveling to Kentucky often landed at a place called Limestone. To get further inland, they had to climb a steep hill to reach the plateau where Washington is. This trip took a whole day for wagons. So, most travelers stopped overnight in Washington before continuing their journey.
Washington's Golden Age
Washington was once the second largest town in Kentucky. In 1790, the first official count showed 462 people living in 119 houses. In 1788, it became the main town for Mason County.
By 1794, when the Mason County Courthouse was built, Washington was one of the most important towns in the state. Many lawyers and other people involved with the court moved there. This led to many taverns and inns opening up. The Washington post office was even the main mail center for the entire Northwest Territory. This huge area included what are now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Why Washington Declined
After the early 1800s, Washington slowly started to shrink. One traveler in 1818 said the town was "laid out on a large plan but not thriving." Then, in April 1825, a fire destroyed thirteen buildings, including two taverns.
Another problem happened in 1820. A new railroad was built from Lexington to the Ohio River, but it completely missed Washington. This was a big blow to the town's future. Also, outbreaks of a disease called cholera in 1832 and 1833 greatly reduced the number of people living there.
Meanwhile, the nearby town of Maysville grew very quickly. By 1847, it was decided to move the county seat from Washington to Maysville. This was a major change for Washington.
Archaeological Discoveries
In the summer of 1975, experts did an archaeological study. They looked at the land and researched old records. This helped them find more historic sites and old objects both inside and outside the original historic district.
They collected 1,858 artifacts from the surface of the town. These objects showed how people lived from about 1785 until more recent times. They found old pottery like pearlware and stoneware. They also found glass pieces from bottles, including some from before 1860. There was also a lot of sun-colored amethyst glass, which was popular between 1880 and 1914. Metal objects included handmade tools, small iron chains, and old building hardware.
 | James Van Der Zee |
 | Alma Thomas |
 | Ellis Wilson |
 | Margaret Taylor-Burroughs |
