Two very important groups helped to settle Washington and the surrounding areas. The earliest settlers, arriving in 1799, were followers of Daniel Boone. German immigrants were another important group that helped settle the new town of Washington. They came largely as a result of the writings of Gotfried Duden. And in the Fall of 1833, twelve Catholic families arrived from Hanover, Germany.

The City of Washington began in the early 1820's as a ferry landing on the southern bank of the Missouri River. A small village grew on the wooded hillsides around the landing.

William G. Owens settled in Franklin County in 1818 with his wife, Lucinda. He bought the ferry and the adjoining fifty acres. The land was surveyed for a town site, and the first lots were sold at public sale on July 4, 1829. However, on November 16, 1834, Owens was fatally shot, and legal entanglements in his estate blocked the establishment of the new town. Finally, Lucinda Owens received clear title to the town site on May 29, 1839, officially founding the town.

In 1850, a steamboat landing was built at the foot of Lafayette Street. The first city hall was completed in 1851. In February, 1855, the first train rolled into town. Also in 1855, John B. Busch, brother to Adolphus, started a brewery that bottled the original Busch Beer. The Brewery is still in existence and houses several of Washington's local businesses. Franz Schwartzer began manufacturing his world famous zithers, an instrument in the same family as the dulcimer, in 1866. Henry Tibbe and his son, Anton, began making corncob pipes in 1872. Today, Washington has the only factory in the world that still manufactures corncob pipes. See Also: http://www.corncobpipe.com

Today, Washington's German heritage is still evident in the Old World Charm of its downtown area.