Washington was founded in 1825[4] by William Holland Sr.,[5][6][7] who came from North Carolina and was hired by the U.S. government to provide blacksmith services to the local Native Americans.

The post office (and later the city) was originally named Holland's Grove in 1833[4] before being renamed in honor of the first U.S. president, George Washington, in 1837.

When Heyl died suddenly in 1932, it was recorded as one of the largest funerals ever held in Washington.

Another local site of interest is the "old canning factory", which is now occupied by American Allied Railway Equipment Company Inc.

In 1943, the canning factory (which after the war was run by the Libby's company) had a shortage of workers, and the government needed K rations and canned goods to feed the troops.

[10] The Washington sub-camp was first commanded by Colonel John S. Sullivan, and later by Captain T. A. Cox.

The POWs were brought in on the old rail line that ran down Wood Street (the foundation of a sentry tower can be seen just northeast of the intersection of Wood and Jefferson near the entrance to the bike trail).

[citation needed] A new community center, named Five Points Washington, opened in October 2007.

Three people were killed, one during the storm and two others later from injuries, including a United States Army veteran.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed as the tornado moved through town before finally exiting on the north side.

Snowfall is common in the winter, averaging 26.3 inches (67 cm), but this figure varies considerably for different years.

Precipitation, averaging at 36 inches (914 mm), peaks in the spring and summer, and is the least in winter.