A delegation from Centralia and surrounding areas gathered in the gallery to witness the passage of the resolution Tuesday.
Sen. John Braun speaks about Centralia founder George Washington on the state Senate floor.
A delegation from Centralia and surrounding areas poses with Sen. John Braun Tuesday at the state Senate.
OLYMPIA — “Our George Washington” earned statewide plaudits Tuesday as the Washington Senate passed a resolution honoring the Centralia founder as a regional pioneer and African-American icon.
“It’s one of those inspiring but little known stories,” said Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, who sponsored the measure as his way of joining in the yearlong festivities celebrating the bicentennial of Washington’s birth. “Folks in our community were wise to say this 200th birthday presents us with a unique opportunity to celebrate a great Northwest pioneer who hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserves.”
Braun read the resolution on the Senate floor as a delegation from Centralia and surrounding areas looked on in the gallery. After it passed with unanimous approval, legislators turned to applaud the locals who have pushed to bring Washington’s story into the spotlight.
Washington settled in the area in 1852, becoming one of the earliest black landowners a year later when the Washington Territory was split from the Oregon Territory and its repressive laws. He plotted the city — then called Centerville — in anticipation of the pending railroad. Braun’s text noted the struggles Washington, the son of a former slave, faced as the result of discrimination, his vision in founding the community and the generosity he showed to his town’s inhabitants.
For the locals in attendance, official recognition by the state named after the more famous George Washington provided validation of the community’s history and their efforts to preserve it.
“It’s so wonderful, people hearing our story of our George Washington,” said Lewis County Commissioner Edna Fund, who was part of the Centralia delegation in the gallery. “To hear those words being spoken about his life in these chambers is just amazing. To watch other people listening intently — they weren’t on their phones, they weren’t doing anything else — they were listening about George’s life.”
Centralia Mayor Lee Coumbs said the rarity of the moment was not lost on him.
“There’s very few times that a small town can be recognized by the Senate and the state,” he said.
Washington’s story, he said, is a testament to not just what he overcame, but to his savvy vision. “He picked the site because it’s halfway between Portland and Seattle,” Coumbs said. “That’s not so important, except in those times railroads had to add water and fuel every hundred miles. … (Centralia is) his vision of what could happen because of the coming of the railroad.”
Braun gave a similar take during his floor speech: “Everyone loved George Washington, and without him Centralia wouldn’t be what it is today. In fact, it may not even exist.”
The festivities honoring Washington will culminate with a birthday party Aug. 11 at George Washington Park in Centralia and the unveiling of a statue of the founder and his wife, Mary Jane.
To learn more, or to donate to the statue project, visit www.ourgeorgewashington.com
