1870
The George Jacquin brewery was destroyed by fire January 1, 1870, found to be intentionally set. Jacquin collected his insurance money and did not rebuild, quite confident any new building would meet the same fate from his enemies that this and two previous structures intentionally destroyed by fire also met.
Washington's population in the 1870 U.S. Census numbered 1,607, an increase of only 29 people over the 1860 number.
The Christian Church built on High Street in 1869 burned to the ground February 17, 1870. A second Church was built replacing it. This too would burn down after its 127-foot steeple was struck by lightning in October 1876.
Two young men got into a scuffle near the train depot as the excursion train was boarding to return to Peoria after a grand picnic was held here by the Mission Sunday School of Peoria. One of the fighters threw a large stone and inadvertently struck the young son of Colonel John Warner, Civil War hero and five-time Mayor of Peoria. The boy suffered a large skull fractuce but is believed to have survived the accident.
Republican Illinois Senatorial candidate Alfred Orendorff made a political stump speech in Illinois.