The town of Washington was settled in 1734. In 1741, Judea Society of Woodbury was organized, and in 1753 another parish at New Preston. A town was incorporated In 1779, the first in the country to be named for George Washington.
Washington is a mountain region, cut by the deep gorge of the Shepaug River, and is noted for its scenery. There is a large summer colony on Lake Waramaug, and many country estates in the vicinity of WashIngton center.
Leaving the junction of R. 25 and R 341 by a dirt road south along Shepaug River, we pass on the left in about 1 1/2 miles a Quartz Vein, where the rock contains rare minerals: blue blades of cyanite, black elemite crystals, andalusite and tourmaline. To our right is Mt. Rat, with an interesting view of the valley below. The lower end of the ravine with its hemlocks is attractive. One may return to R. 25 by Whittlesey Valley Rd., with a good view to the south.
Entering the town from Warren, R. 45, with the connecting Lake Rd., encircles *Lake Waramaug, one of the most beautiful in the State. The State Park lies at the head of the Lake, in the town of Kent. There is another State Park on Mt. Bushnell, to the south, with a fine view of the lake from the lower slopes. About 1/2 mile from the south end of the lake is the attractive Tinker Hill Gorge. Another fine viewpoint is Pinnacle Rock to the east, reached by a path from R. 45.
In the village of New Preston, about 1/2 mile east on R. 25, we find the *Cogswell Tavern, built about 1762, with hip roof, a stopping place for Washington on two occasions. The Maple Tree in front is said to be the largest in Connecticut. At the west end of the village, on a commanding site, is the Congregational Chnwh, a fine architectural landmark, built in 1824 of native stone. About a mile west, on New Preston Hill Rd., is the boyhood home of Horace Bushnell. (His birthplace was at Bantam in Litchfield.) At Marbledale, southwest on R. 25, where there were quarries in an earlier day, is the attractive St. Andrews Episcopal Church, built of brick in 1822. On the country roads between New Preston and Shepaug River are good views and interesting houses, of which the best is the Averill Homestead, on Baldwin Hill Rd., about 1 1/2 miles from New Preston; the land has been in the family ever since it was purchased from the Indians in 1746.
Taking R. 47 through Washington Depot, passing on the left the beautiful gorge of Mallory Brook, and Cobble hill on the left, with a roadway and bridle paths, we climb the hill to Washington village. Half way up the hill to the left, a tablet on a boulder marks a favorite study spot of the naturalist, W. Hamilton Gibson, who spent his summers here. On the Green is the Congregational Chuurh of 1801. The building has quoins on the corners and a Palladian window below the pediment, somewhat marred by the later entrance porch. Northwest of the Green is the attractive stone building of St. John's Episcopal Church. On the south we have the Old Red House, built in 1772 by two brothers Leman and Joel Stone, a Whig and a Tory; one of the Whig rooms has stenciled decorations with patriotic symbols. To the southwest, Kirby Corner was the residence of Sen. Orville H. Platt, and the birthplace site of Ephraim Kirby, whom we met in Litchfleld, author of Kirby's Reports. South from the Green on R, 47 is Gunnery School, a preparatory school for boys, established in 1850 by a remarkable teacher, Frederick W. Gunn (1816-1881.) After graduating from Yale, Gunn opened a school in his native town, though obliged to leave for a time on account of his abolitionist views. The Gunn Memorial Library east of the Green has mural decorations by H. Siddons Mowbray. There are bronze tablets to Mr. and Mrs. Gunn; Mary Brinsmade Brown, a sister of Mrs. Gunn, founder of Judea Seminary; and Senator Platt. The Library has a collection of Indian relics. About 3/4 mile northeast of the village is Wykeham Rise, a preparatory school for girls established in 1902.
On R. 47, which runs southeast from Washington to Woodbury, we pass to the left in about 1/2 mile the original Judea Cemetery, where 30 Revolutionary soldiers are buried, including Jeff Liberty, the leader of a negro band. Below the highway on our right is an attractive wooded ravine. To the left again is Plumb Hill, with a fine view in all directions.
Among the many attractive drives in Washington are Nettleton Valley Rd. on the east of the town, with a fine laurel display, reached by crossroads east from R. 47; Two Rod Highway, south from R. 47 across Painters Ridge, with a view extending from the Meriden Hills to the Catskills; Fenn Hill above R. 134, west from Washington Depot, from which the Housatonic and Shepaug valleys can be seen for many miles; and Church Hill Rd. to Walker Brook Valley, reached by going down the river from Washington Depot, passing about a mile from the river the Titus Homestead, built in 1760. The dirt road which continues down the river passes under *Steep Rock, a beautiful cliff overlooking a "clam shell" bend in the Shepaug. From the summit there is a remarkable view down the valley. This region, served by trails and bridle paths, is maintained by Trustees for use of the townspeople of Washington. It is noted for its laurel display.
There are many good Colonial houses in the town. The oldest, moved down from Windsor, is the Seth Young House, built in 1748, about 1 mile south of the center, to the left of R. 131 to Roxbury.