The
French labeled the area "Wissameking", meaning "catfish place", as early as 1757.
18th century The area of Washington was settled by many immigrants from
Scotland and the north of
Ireland along with settlers from eastern and central parts of the
Colony of Virginia, first settled around 1768. The
Pennsylvania General Assembly passed an act on March 28, 1781, establishing the County of Washington and naming "Catfish Camp" as the place for holding the first election. David Hoge laid out a plan of lots immediately after the legislature's action. His original plot carried the name "Bassett, alias Dandridge Town," but before the plot was recorded, lines were drawn through "Bassett, alias Dandridge Town" with ink, and the word "Washington" was written above. There have long been rumors among locals that the town was named
Washington because George Washington spent the night in the region once. This is not true however; Washington had never been to the area. The original plot dedicated a tract of ground to the people for recreational purposes. A lot was given for a
courthouse where the
current building now stands, and Lots 43 and 102, according to the plan, were presented by Hoge to "His Excellency, General Washington, and Mrs. Washington." Washington, Pennsylvania, was the center for the
Whiskey Rebellion of 1791, which was one of the first open rebellions against the new U.S. government and Constitution. The rebellion was centered on a
tax being imposed on
whiskey distillation in the region. The house of
David Bradford, one of the leaders of the rebellion, is now a museum devoted to the Whiskey Rebellion, the
David Bradford House, located on South Main Street of the city.
19th century The town was incorporated as a borough on February 13, 1810, and became a class three-sized city in 1924. In August 1875, construction began of the
Waynesburg and Washington Railroad, conceived by John Day in 1874 and chartered in 1875. Passenger services ended in 1929, conversion to
standard gauge followed in 1944, when it was renamed the Waynesburg Secondary. Freight services ended in 1976, although part of the line still survives for access to a coal mine. The discovery of oil and natural gas at the
Washington oil field caused a boom period from the 1880s to the early 1900s. James B. Wilson chartered the Washington Electric Street Railways in 1889 with construction beginning in November 1890. The first line was built from the Waynesburg and Washington Narrow Gauge station to Wilson Orchard, just north of the present day site of the
UPMC Washington hospital.
20th century In 1903, the Washington and Canonsburg Railway Company linked Washington to
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, with a trolley line. The company was bought by the
Philadelphia Company in 1906, later becoming part of the
Pittsburgh Railway Company, linking through to Pittsburgh as part of their
interurban service in 1909. The line closed on August 29, 1953. A short section of the line and a number of trolley cars are preserved at the
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum north of the city. ==Geography==