The town of Washington, commonly known as Little Washington (in relation to the larger city of Washington, D.C., nearby), is a historic town located in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park. The entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district, Washington Historic District. It is the county seat of Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States. Washington, Virginia, is considered part of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
The town was established by an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1796 and as the county seat of Rappahannock County, Virginia, in 1833. The town was incorporated in 1894 and was rechartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1985. A large portion of the town was designated as the Washington Historic District on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is considered to be the best preserved of county-seat communities in the Piedmont. The town is led by a 7-member elected Town Council composed of a mayor, a treasurer, and five other members, all of whom serve 4-year terms. The internationally recognized The Inn at Little Washington is located in the town. The town combines a mixture of open spaces, residences, village commerce, tourism facilities, historic buildings, cultural offerings, and local government activities. As of the 2020 census, Washington had a population of 86. The area of the town is .
History The first recorded official document relating to the land that became the town of Washington was a land grant in the year 1735 from King George II of Great Britain to Thomas, James, and Elizabeth Kennerly.Library of Virginia, Virginia Colonial Land Office Patent Book No. 15, 1732–1735, pp. 531-532 The three siblings received 1,750 acres of land located "between the mountains and the fork of the Rushy River," in what was then Orange County, for importing six people into the colony of Virginia, payment of seven pounds five shillings of "good and lawful money," and an annual fee of one shilling for every fifty acres of land. At this time there were virtually no Native Americans in the area and the way was open to English settlement of the Piedmont region of Virginia.Maureen I. Harris, Washington, Virginia, a History, 1735-2018 (KDP Publishing, Amazon.com, 2019), pp. 9-11
In 1745, the Kennerlys divided their land into three parts. Thomas received the central part, adjacent to and south of the Rush River and containing the land that would become the town of Washington.Orange County Deed Book 10, p. 278 Thomas sold his land to Henry Gambill in 1753 and moved to South Carolina.Culpeper County Deed Book B, pp. 70-74 Gambill divided the land: in 1754 he sold the western part, which contained what became the western portion of the town of Washington, to John Minor; in 1761 he gave the eastern part, which contained what became the northeastern portion of the town, to his son William Gambill.Culpeper County Deed Book B, pp. 132–135, and Deed Book C, pp. 609-610 The border between these two parts would become part of the original road to Chester Gap and, later, Gay Street when the town of Washington was established.
These two parts were bought and sold multiple times during the next 30 years.Maureen I. Harris, "History of the Land and the People who Founded the Town of Washington, Virginia, 1735–1833," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 53, No. 1, 2015, pp. 64-70 However, four important individuals acquired the land in the 1790s. In 1791 William Porter was given 247 acres of the western land, and in 1795 George Calvert purchased 230 acres of the adjacent eastern land.Culpeper County Deed Book Q, pp. 387–388, and Deed Book S, pp. 170-172 During 1792–1795, Porter sold 2 acres to James Wheeler, 2 acres to James Jett Jr., and 6 acres to George Calvert, all of which were located on land that became the town of Washington.Culpeper County Deed Book R, pp. 35-36 and pp. 333–334, and Deed Book S, pp. 278-280 and pp. 99-100 Only a few buildings were mentioned in these deeds; these included Wheeler's storehouse, Jett's store, and a schoolhouse, located along the road to Chesters Gap. The rest of the land was apparently only farmland owned by Porter and by Calvert.
On November 1, 1796, George Calvert, James Jett Jr., and James Wheeler petitioned the Virginia General Assembly to "establish a town by the name of Washington on twenty five acres of land of your said petitioners".Library of Virginia, Petitions of Culpeper County to the Virginia General Assembly, www.virginiamemory.com/collections/petitions The General Assembly responded by passing an act on December 14, 1796, establishing thirteen new towns in Virginia, one of which was the town of Washington.Samuel Shepherd, The Statutes at Large of Virginia, from October Session 1792 to December Session 1806, Inclusive, in Three Volumes, (New Series), Being a Continuation of Hening, vol. II (New York: AMS Press, 1836), pp. 29-32 One year later, Calvert, Jett, Wheeler, and William Porter sent a second petition to the General Assembly of Virginia, asking that part of Porter's land be added to the town.Library of Virginia, Petitions of Culpeper County to the General Assembly of Virginia, www.virginiamemory.com/collections/petitions A plan of the proposed streets and lots of the town was attached to the petition; four of the six streets were named after the four petitioners. On December 25, 1797, the General Assembly approved this request.Samuel Shepherd, The Statutes at Large of Virginia, from October Session 1792 to December Session 1806, Inclusive, in Three Volumes, (New Series), Being a Continuation of Hening, vol. II (New York: AMS Press, 1836), p. 131 The local legend that George Washington surveyed and laid out the town in 1749 is believed to have been created from fictitious documents in 1932.Eugene M. Scheel, "Putting Little Washington on the Map," The Portolan Journal of the Washington Map Society, No. 54, 2002, pp. 37-39; Maureen I. Harris, Washington, Virginia, a History, 1735-2018 (KDP Publishing, Amazon.com., 2019), Appendix 4
The trustees of the new town of Washington quickly proceeded to sell the fifty-one lots of the town. In 1803 Mrs. Anne Cox established a tavern in the center of town; this building survives today as the gift shops of The Inn at Little Washington. Mary Resor also established a tavern, on Gay Street, which was next owned by George Thorn and later became the home "Avon Hall." The Washington post office was situated in the town by 1804 and still remains in the town. The town became known as "Little Washington" as early as 1804, to distinguish it from the new capital of Washington, D.C. located only 70 miles to the northeast.The Journals and Letters of Francis Asbury, vol. II (London, Epworth Press, 1958), p. 447
In 1833, Rappahannock County was created from part of Culpeper County and the town of Washington was selected to be the county seat.Acts of the Virginia General Assembly, Chapter 73 for the year 1833; Rappahannock County Deed Book A, pp. 24-29 The courthouse and Court Clerk's office were constructed by Malcolm F. Crawford of Albemarle County in 1833-1834 and the jail was built by John W. Fant of Shenandoah County in 1833–1836.Maureen Harris, "Will the Real Courthouse Architect Please Stand Up," Rappahannock News, June 4, 2017, and June 17, 2017; Rappahannock County Minute Book A, pp. 26 and 74 The town was governed by a 7-member Board of Trustees. As the town prospered and grew in importance as the seat of government of Rappahannock County, new homes were constructed, and businesses were established to serve the town and the county. Two schools were created in the town to provide private education in the years before the Commonwealth of Virginia instituted public education. The Washington Presbyterian church was built in 1856–1858, Trinity Episcopal church in 1857, Washington Baptist church in 1875, the black American First Baptist church in 1881, and the Washington Methodist church in 1890. The Blue Ridge Guide newspaper served the town and the county from 1886 to 1936.Maureen I. Harris, Washington, Virginia, a History, 1735-2018 (KDP Publishing, Amazon.com, 2019), pp. 45-58
In 1894, the town was incorporated by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and governance of the town was vested in a council of seven members.Acts of the Virginia General Assembly, Chapter 228 for the year 1894 The Rappahannock National Bank was established in the town in 1903, and electricity and telephones were introduced in the 1920s. Thornton's garage was constructed in the middle of town; this became The Inn at Little Washington in 1978. Partlow's General Store was created in the town in the early 1900s, Stuart's merchandise store in 1908, and Lea Brothers Store in 1928. A new water system was constructed for the town in the mid-1930s through Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, and a volunteer fire department was created at that time. In the later 1930s, caravans of tourists began visiting the town on their way to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. A major event heralded the beginning of the second half of the 20th century with the election of seven women to serve as the Town Council of Washington, replacing the seven men who had comprised the council. Nationwide publicity was given to the election and to the town (nicknamed "She-town" temporarily). These women accomplished a great deal to improve the ambiance and governance of the town. Over the next 50 years, the town flourished because of the influx of tourism, with many new stores, art galleries, restaurants, and overnight lodging. The weekly Rappahannock News newspaper was begun. Two performance arts theaters and a public library were established in the town.
In 1975, the town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Washington Historic District", and the Town Council passed an ordinance establishing a review board charged with preserving the town's historic character. (More below.)
One of the most important events in the modern history of the town is the opening of The Inn at Little Washington in 1978. This restaurant and inn celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018 and has gained national and international fame. It is a member of the luxury hotel association, Relais & Châteaux. It is the first inn to receive the Mobil Travel Guide's 5-Star award, and it has been rated by the American Automobile Association with 5 diamonds for its restaurant and 5 diamonds for its overnight lodging for 28 years. In 2001, the owner and chef of the Inn, Patrick O'Connell, was given the prestigious Outstanding Chef in America Award. La Liste, the French guide to the world's best restaurants, ranked the Inn as the fifth highest rated restaurant in the world.Rappahannock News, December 4, 1986; The Daily Progress, March 8, 2002; Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 12, 2005; Rappahannock News, September 20, 2018, and December 13, 2018 The Inn attracts a discerning clientele from Washington, D.C., and its suburbs. Largely due to the Inn's influence, the town is also home to several art galleries, unique shops, bed and breakfasts, and restaurants. The town attracts art lovers, history buffs, and hikers that come into the county for day hikes or weekend camping trips.