Centralia, Washington

Lewis County  ·  Population 18,183  ·  Card no. 1734

Centralia was founded by George Washington, a Black pioneer born in Virginia to an enslaved father and raised by a white couple who took him west. He platted the town in 1875, sold lots cheaply, and during the panic of 1893 handed out food and work to keep the place alive.

• The Union Depot on Railroad Avenue opened in 1912 and still serves Amtrak.
• The Armistice Day confrontation of 1919 between American Legion marchers and IWW members left several dead and is still argued about locally.
• Borst Home, built in 1857 at the fort near the river confluence, is the oldest house in the county.

Send this card free