1838

After the murder of Reverend Elijah P. Lovejoy in Alton in 1837, who was killed defending his printing press from an anti-abolition mob, slavery became a very controversial topic in Illinois.  In 1838, an anti-slavery group was formed in Washington and had well over 100 members.  They wanted to use the public schoolhouse for their meetings but were angrily denied by school officials, who were all on the other side of the issue.  Resident and anti-slavery group member Emma Scott remembered that "the trustees of the school, who are violently opposed to Abolitionists, refused to let us have the use of the house, and one of them, who was formerly a slave-holder and removed to this place from Kentucky about a year ago since, and professes to be a gentleman, together with some others in this place, grew very much enraged and threatened us very hard. They swore that we should not hold such a meeting in the place and that if we attempted it, scenes worse than that at Alton should be enacted here."

Even though Washington was not incorporated until 1847, a city government was in place before that.  The 1925 Early History of Washington references a book in the possession of Eli Heiple from an early settler named Dr. Carr.  The book's earliest entry was from August 20, 1838, and it listed city officials Edward Augustus Whipple, Jacob Kern, B Allen (probably Brazilla Allee), and Asa Danforth.

Dr. Robert Woodson Burton arrived in 1838 and opened the first drugstore in town.  He died in 1859.

Many old settlers could buy their land from the government for the first time in 1838.  That process involved a long wagon ride to either Springfield or Chicago and then when each lot came up, there was a bidding process.  It was a stressful time for the settlers and an exhilarating time when they finally owned their land free and clear.

A Baptist Church was formed in Washington on March 13, 1838, under the direction of Isaac Newell, a pioneer missionary originally from Vermont. There were twenty charter members.  In Newell's letter home to Vermont, he writes: "The field in this part of the state is large and the laborers are few.  May the Lord of the harvest abundantly bless and sustain those who are in this field, and speedily send others to join them."

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