Washington is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

located in Autauga County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

on the north bank of the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...

, just west of the mouth of Autauga Creek. Washington was founded by European American settlers in 1817 on the site of the former Autauga Indian town of Atagi and named in honor of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. On November 22, 1819, the Alabama territorial legislature chose Washington as the county seat of Autauga County, which it remained until 1830. A courthouse, hotel, jail, post office and

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, used during the medieval and renaissance periods for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. ...

were constructed to meet the needs of the county government. Following growth in population, the county seat was moved to

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

in 1830 in order to be closer to the geographic center of the jurisdiction. Soon after, many businesses and residents followed county businesses. Washington was deserted by 1879. The post office in Washington was operated from 1824 to 1854.

Notable people

* Eugene Allen Smith, former Alabama state geologist and vice president of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...

References

Unincorporated communities in Autauga County, Alabama Unincorporated communities in Alabama Montgomery metropolitan area Ghost towns in Alabama 1817 establishments in Alabama Territory Towns in Alabama {{AutaugaCountyAL-geo-stub