About Us:

The Town of Washington is located on the site of a trading post that served frontier families and members of the Manohoac tribe. The village was officially established as a Town by the General Assembly on December 14, 1795, having achieved the necessary population of 200 people. In 1835, the Gazetteer noted that the town now contained one academy, fifty-five dwellings, four mercantile stores, two taverns, one house of worship, twenty-seven trade shops, and two large flour mills.

Washington is flanked by the rolling hills of what is now Rappahannock County. Its early settlers were small farmers who constantly encroached upon the Indian lands of the region. These settlers were mostly English, but there were also those of Scotch, Irish and German extraction. The present county was originally under the authority of Lord Fairfax. Rappahannock was designated a distinct county in 1833 and took its name from the river that has its source in nearby mountain springs. Today, the County retains its rustic charm, hosting 5 wineries, 16 orchards/nurseries, and over a dozen commercial farms.

During the Civil War, a home on Main Street was used as a Confederate Hospital. The town continued to grow in the subsequent years, and in the early-1900s the population was nearly 500, supporting businesses such as three garages and a barber shop.

In the late 1800s when railroads became the main instrument of trade, the main east-west railway route was constructed north of town through the more accessible Thoroughfare Gap. Washington was bypassed by this industrialization, which leaves the town you visit now remarkably similar to the one of 150 years ago.