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Centralia’s founder George Washington, Uncle George to those who knew him well, was a driven man. The essays in “Centralia the First Fifty Years” paint the beloved founder of Centralia as a man who was kind beyond reason, who amassed great wealth despite racial and social barriers, was an excellent rifleman, an enthusiastic outdoorsman, and a renowned barbecue master.

home carpet warehouseThe stories of his journeys from the east to the west in the 1850s and 60s are simultaneously maddening and inspiring. They tell the tale of a man who would succeed through his force of will, his intelligence, and his righteousness.

Washington, in his own piece “Marched Westward with the Star of the Empire to Washington in 1850” published in the Tacoma Weekly Ledger in 1892 proudly expresses: “My whole life has been that of a pioneer.” A true pioneer he was, boldly heading west in pursuit of true freedom and prosperity. He was born the son of a slave in 1817. Travelling west with his adopted family as far as possible was his chance to outrun the overt racism and bigotry prevalent in his day. He found his home, his freedom, and his success in what would soon be a state that bore his name in a small community he would found with his wife, Mary Jane.

George Washington
George Washington enjoying a sunny day with his dog in Centrailia. Photo courtesy: Lewis County Historical Museum – Picture #9608.

To this day Centralia is the United States’ largest community founded by an African American couple.

They established Centralia in 1875 on his 640 acres and sold the lots for $10 asking that these lots be developed immediately in order to ensure the growth and prosperity he envisioned for the town. He didn’t want them to be purchased in speculation and sold later at a profit, he wanted them to secure and represent a family of community members. He nurtured his town as if it were his child, protecting its citizens in hard times by refusing to foreclose on their homes and procuring food for the masses from as far as Portland in order to maintain the health of the population.

Andy Skinner, executive director of the Lewis County Historical Museum, explains that “his generosity opening his barn to the community during the market crash of 1893 and fighting against the odds to create the town showcases his determination and unselfishness.” His efforts paid off. The town flourished, and he saw it grow to 3,000 occupants. In 1892, 13 years prior to his death, he states his own wealth at $150,000, a figure that today would be worth approximately $4.2 million. Not bad for a self-taught free-born son of a slave just 30 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lewis County Historical Museum
Andy Skinner, director of the Lewis County Historical Museum enjoying one of his favorite exhibits, the massive train sets. Photo credit: Edward Ingram

Andy is a man passionate about history. He is a local who studied history and political science at WSU, and now runs the beautiful Lewis County Historical Museum in downtown Chehalis. I met him at the museum where he greeted me with a warm smile and escorted me to the back offices. Here he seems comfortable with files stacked to the ceiling and his computer at ready on his desk to access all of the wealth of information the museum has to offer. In talking with him, it is impossible not to be filled with confidence that this energetic man will usher Lewis County’s history into the digital age seamlessly.

His goals for the museum are clear. It is important to “make history available online” he says, in order to “tell the stories and tidbits and make them interesting and available, especially to kids.” In talking about the future, he feels that ushering history into the digital world and the expanding it in the community in the form of preserved buildings and striking monuments are the keys to increasing its importance and visibility in the community.

Andy revels in George Washington’s historical legacy, saying, “His actions directly created the largest city in Lewis County and impacted not just the county, region, or state, but instead the entire Pacific Northwest and farther.” He is working closely with local writer Brian Mittge to celebrate Washington’s 200th birthday in style. They are planning a birthday celebration for Centralia’s unique and heroic founder and raising money to erect a statue of George Washington himself, hopefully to be located in the park that is named for him at the town’s center.

George Washington Homestead Centralia
The George Washington Homestead in Centralia sadly no longer exists. Photo courtesy: Lewis County Historical Museum – Picture #7039.

Andy feels a statue would be a great step. “What makes people remember things, and really galvanizes their history are the things that you can see, feel, and touch, like buildings and monuments,” he says. That coupled with his intention of making the county’s history available on a cell phone would certainly be a powerful teacher and reminder.

If you would like to donate or help with the project in any way please contact the museum. This project isn’t just observing a fascinating past. Andy says it is also an opportunity to “connect people, places, and things to create their history and create a community.”

Mr. Washington’s funeral in 1905 is still the largest in Centralia’s history. The Centralia News Examiner reported on the funeral on September 1, 1905, that a mayoral order had every business in town shut down to pay respect between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Approximately 3,000 mourners attended to see off their founder.

At his birthday celebration, it would be thrilling to see 3,000 or more celebrators of the man’s life and legacy. It would be a statement of the greatness and pride in the county if people could donate to build the statue of the founder that overcame more than most of us in modern America can imagine to bring safety, happiness, and security to so many.

Andy Skinner emphasizes that each town in the United States has looked to express what makes their town, their “Main Street” unique. In Centralia, one can start at the beginning, at the founding document signed by a black couple in 1875, and at their remarkable, generous, and ingenious founder. Certainly there has been history made since, but perhaps none so great as the improbable success of George Washington, a man whose relentlessness knew no bounds. A hero, a pioneer, and Centralia’s first and foremost barbeque master.

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