Prehistoric period Archeological evidence suggests that
Native Americans first settled along the banks of the
Shepaug River about 10,000 years ago, following the conclusion of the last ice age. Before the arrival of European settlers, the lands today comprising Washington were inhabited by the
Wyantenock tribe.
Colonial era In 1734, Joseph Hurlbut settled the eastern section of what is now Washington, marking the beginning of the town's inhabitation by colonists. The area around the Hurlbut homestead came to be known as the Judea Parish, a name preserved in the still active
Judea Cemetery. The area was initially part of
Woodbury. In 1746, Edward Cogswell secured the right to mine iron ore, as part of the
New Milford North Purchase, and established an ironworks along the
East Aspetuck River in
New Preston. 1746 also marked the purchase of land from the Wyantenock tribe by the Averill family for a homestead on Baldwin Hill, which is still occupied and farmed by direct descendants of the original inhabitants. Washington was incorporated in 1779, with lands carved from the towns of Woodbury,
Litchfield,
Kent and
New Milford. who traveled through the area several times during the
American Revolution, and proverbially slept in
New Preston in 1781. Major William Cogswell, son of Edward Cogswell, was elected the town's first selectman.
19th century Industrial Revolution. Early in the 19th century, small mills and factories proliferated along the Shepaug River in present-day Washington Depot, which came to be known as "Factory Hollow". Small-scale industry simultaneously appeared along the banks of the East Aspetuck River in New Preston.
Invention of Summer Camp. In 1861, Frederick W. Gunn, the
abolitionist founder of the Gunnery prep school, opened one of America's earliest
summer camp's in Washington.
Slavery Safe Harbor. Washington was a stop on the
Underground Railroad. Local residents provided a safe harbor for slaves fleeing captivity, and organized efforts to throw bounty hunters off the tracks of their pursuits.
Arcadian Movement. The arrival of the
Shepaug Railroad in Washington in 1872 introduced rail service to New York City, which brought an influx of new visitors. Architect
Ehrick Rossiter, then a recent graduate of the local
Gunnery prep school, saw an opportunity to establish an understated alternative to
Greenwich,
Newport, and the ostentation favored by the
nouveaux riches of the day. In collaboration with a coterie of wealthy New York patrons, Rossiter remade the Washington Green area into an idyllic summer colony, transforming it into an idealized version of the quintessential New England village. During this period, the
Congregational church received a makeover, commercial enterprises were eliminated for aesthetic purposes, and restrained but elegant summer homes—many of them designed by Rossiter himself—were constructed. Contemporaneously, new seasonal residents established themselves at
Lake Waramaug in New Preston.
20th century Birth of Steep Rock. In 1925, architect Ehrick Rossiter donated of land along the Shepaug River to a group of trustees for the purpose of preserving it as open space, marking the founding of the Steep Rock Association land trust, which today holds land and
conservation easements protecting more than in Washington.
Flood of 1955. In August 1955, two large storms passed over Litchfield County in close succession, flooding many local river valleys. North of Washington Depot, twin culverts carrying the
Shepaug River under
U.S. Route 202 were plugged with debris, causing floodwaters to accumulate upstream. The culverts and roadway succumbed to the resulting pressure, causing a wall of water to race down the river valley, washing away many of the homes and businesses in the Depot's village center, and killing a couple who ignored warnings to evacuate. A reconstruction effort, led by Henry B. Van Sinderen, and modeled after a town on
Long Island, was quickly commenced. became an intervenor in the proceedings, retained a prominent Washington, D.C., law firm, and mounted a vigorous opposition campaign. In 1989, Iroquois decided to reroute the pipeline, shifting it south of Washington's borders.
Shepaug River Lawsuit. In 1997, Washington residents voted unanimously to join a lawsuit against the
City of Waterbury, which operates a reservoir at the headwaters of the
Shepaug River in the adjacent town of
Warren. Waterbury, which had long relied on the reservoir to supply water to its citizens, had come to view the river as a revenue stream, and was removing extra water to sell to neighboring municipalities. The lawsuit, which the town of
Roxbury also joined, sought to compel Waterbury to release more water into the river, which slowed to a trickle during summer months, impeding important ecological functions. After considerable legal maneuvering on both sides, river advocates prevailed in February 2000, when a Superior Court judge ordered Waterbury to release more water into the Shepaug.
Contemporary Washington In recent decades Washington has fought a range of developments and infrastructure projects in its local area: demonstrating the power of the type of
NIMBYism that is common especially in wealthier towns and neighborhoods across in the US. This is despite the fact that Washington of course relies upon such infrastructure and necessary services — like cell phone reception, water resources, and electricity supplies — being provided to it somehow and from somewhere.
Sempra Fight. In 1998,
Sempra Energy submitted a proposal to the
Connecticut Siting Council to construct a power plant approximately south of Washington in
New Milford. The plant was to emit 443 tons of pollutants per year, many of which would have projected toward Washington, owing to the region's prevailing wind patterns and complex terrain. The Washington Environmental Council
Cell phone coverage. In 2008,
Optasite submitted an application to the Connecticut Siting Council to erect a telecommunications tower atop Tanner Hill in a visually conspicuous location above the Macricostas Preserve, some north of the Washington town line. The State of Connecticut had previously purchased the development rights for the land beneath the proposed tower site for farmland preservation. Washington's Conservation Commission became an intervenor in the application. Working with a coalition that included Governor
Jodi Rell, Attorney General
Richard Blumenthal, and an ad-hoc community organization called CROWW, they built an environmental and legal case against the tower proposal. In 2009, Optasite withdrew its application, and legislation was subsequently introduced in the
Connecticut General Assembly to hold companies liable for costs incurred as a consequence of applications submitted to the Siting Council in
bad faith. ==Geography==