George Washington is and will always be "famous" in Centralia, WA, which he founded. His first marriage was to a widow, Mary Jane Coonness, who had a son, Stacey.
Mary died in Centralia on March 5, 1889. George's second marriage was to Charity Elizabeth (Crim) Brown in Centralia on September 24, 1890. Charity was a widow with three young children.
Their son, George Cleveland (George's only child), was born on December 15, 1891. They were divorced a few years later.
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George Washington (Washington pioneer)
From Wikipedia
George Washington (August 15, 1817 – August 26, 1905) was the founder of the town of Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.
He is remembered as a leading African American pioneer of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Virginia, the son of a former slave and a woman of English descent, Washington was raised by a white couple named Anna and James Cochran.
When he was young, the Cochrans moved west, first to Ohio, then to Missouri. Washington became a skilled rifleman and taught himself to read. He was given full rights as a citizen after the Cochrans petitioned the state of Missouri, except for the right to vote.
Fearing he might lose his freedom after the passage of the Compromise of 1850, Washington moved the Cochrans and himself over the Oregon Trail. Arriving in the Oregon Territory, they found he could not establish a claim land for himself because of his race. The family settled near the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers, and the Cochrans claimed the land for the family in 1852.
When Washington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory in 1853, the new territory's statutes did not preclude Negroes from owning land, and the Cochrans sold their land to him for $6000. George cared for his adoptive parents the rest of their lives, and later married local widow Mary Jane Cooness, helping raise her son (Stacy).
Anticipating the arrival of the Northern Pacific railroad in 1872, Washington platted the city of Centerville on his land, naming the streets after biblical references and setting aside land for a park (now the site of the Carnegie Library) and churches of many denominations. The town was incorporated as Centralia, Washington in 1886 after it was discovered that another town in the territory already bore the name Centerville.
This made Washington the only black person to found a town in the Pacific Northwest. Despite facing some racial prejudice at the hands of newcomers (many of whom migrated from the segregated post-Civil War south), George Washington supported many of the townspeople through the Panic of 1893, when the Northern Pacific went bankrupt and the town nearly collapsed. The town thrived in the boom started by the Alaska Gold Rush in 1898, and by the time he died in 1905 at the age of 88, Centralia had grown to a town of around 5000 residents, who turned out en masse to honor him at his funeral. He is buried in the town's Washington Lawn Cemetery.
The town has a number of memorials to its founder, including a large stone monument telling his life story in the city's central plaza (a park donated by George and Mary Jane Washington, and known as George Washington Park.)
In connection with Washington's 200th birthday, an effort is underway to build a bronze statue of George and Mary Jane Washington to be placed in George Washington Park.
He was a Black farmer, businessman and the founder of the town of Centralia, Washington.
Born a slave in Virginia, George Washington escaped and was raised by a white family in Missouri. Unable to attend school, he was tutored and eventually ran a sawmill in St. Joseph, MO. He struggled under the racial restrictions of that slave-holding state, and in 1850 joined a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. After reaching the northwest, George Washington again entered the lumber business and established a homestead on the Chehalis River. But his farm lay in the path of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
He and the company came to terms and with the settlement he received, Washington planned a new town in 1872. He called it Centerville, and he laid out 2,000 lots, setting aside sites for parks and churches. The town thrived, though the name was changed to Centralia.
George Washington spent the rest of his life there as an honored citizen. When he died in 1905, the town, 30 miles south of Olympia, shut down for a day of mourning. George Washington Park (named after him) is in the heart of Centralia, at Pearl St. and Harrison St.
Reference:
The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
Mary died in Centralia on March 5, 1889. George's second marriage was to Charity Elizabeth (Crim) Brown in Centralia on September 24, 1890. Charity was a widow with three young children.
Their son, George Cleveland (George's only child), was born on December 15, 1891. They were divorced a few years later.
-----
George Washington (Washington pioneer)
From Wikipedia
George Washington (August 15, 1817 – August 26, 1905) was the founder of the town of Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.
He is remembered as a leading African American pioneer of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Virginia, the son of a former slave and a woman of English descent, Washington was raised by a white couple named Anna and James Cochran.
When he was young, the Cochrans moved west, first to Ohio, then to Missouri. Washington became a skilled rifleman and taught himself to read. He was given full rights as a citizen after the Cochrans petitioned the state of Missouri, except for the right to vote.
Fearing he might lose his freedom after the passage of the Compromise of 1850, Washington moved the Cochrans and himself over the Oregon Trail. Arriving in the Oregon Territory, they found he could not establish a claim land for himself because of his race. The family settled near the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers, and the Cochrans claimed the land for the family in 1852.
When Washington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory in 1853, the new territory's statutes did not preclude Negroes from owning land, and the Cochrans sold their land to him for $6000. George cared for his adoptive parents the rest of their lives, and later married local widow Mary Jane Cooness, helping raise her son (Stacy).
Anticipating the arrival of the Northern Pacific railroad in 1872, Washington platted the city of Centerville on his land, naming the streets after biblical references and setting aside land for a park (now the site of the Carnegie Library) and churches of many denominations. The town was incorporated as Centralia, Washington in 1886 after it was discovered that another town in the territory already bore the name Centerville.
This made Washington the only black person to found a town in the Pacific Northwest. Despite facing some racial prejudice at the hands of newcomers (many of whom migrated from the segregated post-Civil War south), George Washington supported many of the townspeople through the Panic of 1893, when the Northern Pacific went bankrupt and the town nearly collapsed. The town thrived in the boom started by the Alaska Gold Rush in 1898, and by the time he died in 1905 at the age of 88, Centralia had grown to a town of around 5000 residents, who turned out en masse to honor him at his funeral. He is buried in the town's Washington Lawn Cemetery.
The town has a number of memorials to its founder, including a large stone monument telling his life story in the city's central plaza (a park donated by George and Mary Jane Washington, and known as George Washington Park.)
In connection with Washington's 200th birthday, an effort is underway to build a bronze statue of George and Mary Jane Washington to be placed in George Washington Park.
He was a Black farmer, businessman and the founder of the town of Centralia, Washington.
Born a slave in Virginia, George Washington escaped and was raised by a white family in Missouri. Unable to attend school, he was tutored and eventually ran a sawmill in St. Joseph, MO. He struggled under the racial restrictions of that slave-holding state, and in 1850 joined a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. After reaching the northwest, George Washington again entered the lumber business and established a homestead on the Chehalis River. But his farm lay in the path of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
He and the company came to terms and with the settlement he received, Washington planned a new town in 1872. He called it Centerville, and he laid out 2,000 lots, setting aside sites for parks and churches. The town thrived, though the name was changed to Centralia.
George Washington spent the rest of his life there as an honored citizen. When he died in 1905, the town, 30 miles south of Olympia, shut down for a day of mourning. George Washington Park (named after him) is in the heart of Centralia, at Pearl St. and Harrison St.
Reference:
The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
George Washington is and will always be "famous" in Centralia, WA, which he founded. His first marriage was to a widow, Mary Jane Coonness, who had a son, Stacey.
Mary died in Centralia on March 5, 1889. George's second marriage was to Charity Elizabeth (Crim) Brown in Centralia on September 24, 1890. Charity was a widow with three young children.
Their son, George Cleveland (George's only child), was born on December 15, 1891. They were divorced a few years later.
-----
George Washington (Washington pioneer)
From Wikipedia
George Washington (August 15, 1817 – August 26, 1905) was the founder of the town of Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.
He is remembered as a leading African American pioneer of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Virginia, the son of a former slave and a woman of English descent, Washington was raised by a white couple named Anna and James Cochran.
When he was young, the Cochrans moved west, first to Ohio, then to Missouri. Washington became a skilled rifleman and taught himself to read. He was given full rights as a citizen after the Cochrans petitioned the state of Missouri, except for the right to vote.
Fearing he might lose his freedom after the passage of the Compromise of 1850, Washington moved the Cochrans and himself over the Oregon Trail. Arriving in the Oregon Territory, they found he could not establish a claim land for himself because of his race. The family settled near the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers, and the Cochrans claimed the land for the family in 1852.
When Washington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory in 1853, the new territory's statutes did not preclude Negroes from owning land, and the Cochrans sold their land to him for $6000. George cared for his adoptive parents the rest of their lives, and later married local widow Mary Jane Cooness, helping raise her son (Stacy).
Anticipating the arrival of the Northern Pacific railroad in 1872, Washington platted the city of Centerville on his land, naming the streets after biblical references and setting aside land for a park (now the site of the Carnegie Library) and churches of many denominations. The town was incorporated as Centralia, Washington in 1886 after it was discovered that another town in the territory already bore the name Centerville.
This made Washington the only black person to found a town in the Pacific Northwest. Despite facing some racial prejudice at the hands of newcomers (many of whom migrated from the segregated post-Civil War south), George Washington supported many of the townspeople through the Panic of 1893, when the Northern Pacific went bankrupt and the town nearly collapsed. The town thrived in the boom started by the Alaska Gold Rush in 1898, and by the time he died in 1905 at the age of 88, Centralia had grown to a town of around 5000 residents, who turned out en masse to honor him at his funeral. He is buried in the town's Washington Lawn Cemetery.
The town has a number of memorials to its founder, including a large stone monument telling his life story in the city's central plaza (a park donated by George and Mary Jane Washington, and known as George Washington Park.)
In connection with Washington's 200th birthday, an effort is underway to build a bronze statue of George and Mary Jane Washington to be placed in George Washington Park.
He was a Black farmer, businessman and the founder of the town of Centralia, Washington.
Born a slave in Virginia, George Washington escaped and was raised by a white family in Missouri. Unable to attend school, he was tutored and eventually ran a sawmill in St. Joseph, MO. He struggled under the racial restrictions of that slave-holding state, and in 1850 joined a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. After reaching the northwest, George Washington again entered the lumber business and established a homestead on the Chehalis River. But his farm lay in the path of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
He and the company came to terms and with the settlement he received, Washington planned a new town in 1872. He called it Centerville, and he laid out 2,000 lots, setting aside sites for parks and churches. The town thrived, though the name was changed to Centralia.
George Washington spent the rest of his life there as an honored citizen. When he died in 1905, the town, 30 miles south of Olympia, shut down for a day of mourning. George Washington Park (named after him) is in the heart of Centralia, at Pearl St. and Harrison St.
Reference:
The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
Mary died in Centralia on March 5, 1889. George's second marriage was to Charity Elizabeth (Crim) Brown in Centralia on September 24, 1890. Charity was a widow with three young children.
Their son, George Cleveland (George's only child), was born on December 15, 1891. They were divorced a few years later.
-----
George Washington (Washington pioneer)
From Wikipedia
George Washington (August 15, 1817 – August 26, 1905) was the founder of the town of Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.
He is remembered as a leading African American pioneer of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Virginia, the son of a former slave and a woman of English descent, Washington was raised by a white couple named Anna and James Cochran.
When he was young, the Cochrans moved west, first to Ohio, then to Missouri. Washington became a skilled rifleman and taught himself to read. He was given full rights as a citizen after the Cochrans petitioned the state of Missouri, except for the right to vote.
Fearing he might lose his freedom after the passage of the Compromise of 1850, Washington moved the Cochrans and himself over the Oregon Trail. Arriving in the Oregon Territory, they found he could not establish a claim land for himself because of his race. The family settled near the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers, and the Cochrans claimed the land for the family in 1852.
When Washington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory in 1853, the new territory's statutes did not preclude Negroes from owning land, and the Cochrans sold their land to him for $6000. George cared for his adoptive parents the rest of their lives, and later married local widow Mary Jane Cooness, helping raise her son (Stacy).
Anticipating the arrival of the Northern Pacific railroad in 1872, Washington platted the city of Centerville on his land, naming the streets after biblical references and setting aside land for a park (now the site of the Carnegie Library) and churches of many denominations. The town was incorporated as Centralia, Washington in 1886 after it was discovered that another town in the territory already bore the name Centerville.
This made Washington the only black person to found a town in the Pacific Northwest. Despite facing some racial prejudice at the hands of newcomers (many of whom migrated from the segregated post-Civil War south), George Washington supported many of the townspeople through the Panic of 1893, when the Northern Pacific went bankrupt and the town nearly collapsed. The town thrived in the boom started by the Alaska Gold Rush in 1898, and by the time he died in 1905 at the age of 88, Centralia had grown to a town of around 5000 residents, who turned out en masse to honor him at his funeral. He is buried in the town's Washington Lawn Cemetery.
The town has a number of memorials to its founder, including a large stone monument telling his life story in the city's central plaza (a park donated by George and Mary Jane Washington, and known as George Washington Park.)
In connection with Washington's 200th birthday, an effort is underway to build a bronze statue of George and Mary Jane Washington to be placed in George Washington Park.
He was a Black farmer, businessman and the founder of the town of Centralia, Washington.
Born a slave in Virginia, George Washington escaped and was raised by a white family in Missouri. Unable to attend school, he was tutored and eventually ran a sawmill in St. Joseph, MO. He struggled under the racial restrictions of that slave-holding state, and in 1850 joined a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. After reaching the northwest, George Washington again entered the lumber business and established a homestead on the Chehalis River. But his farm lay in the path of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
He and the company came to terms and with the settlement he received, Washington planned a new town in 1872. He called it Centerville, and he laid out 2,000 lots, setting aside sites for parks and churches. The town thrived, though the name was changed to Centralia.
George Washington spent the rest of his life there as an honored citizen. When he died in 1905, the town, 30 miles south of Olympia, shut down for a day of mourning. George Washington Park (named after him) is in the heart of Centralia, at Pearl St. and Harrison St.
Reference:
The Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage
by Susan Altman
Copyright 1997, Facts on File, Inc. New York
ISBN 0-8160-3289-0
