Centralians still celebrate the dream of Centerville, a city founded by a free Black man born to enslaved parents, every year around this time.
George Washington died Aug. 26, 1905. George and his wife, Mary Jane, founded Centerville, which would later become Centralia, on Jan. 8, 1875.
A small crowd gathered beneath the Centralia College Clocktower Monday afternoon to celebrate the life and legacy of George Washington at an event hosted by the Centralia Downtown Association.
Information tables, goody bags, food and activities were all kicked off by a slate of speakers, including local Centralians, leaders of Multiculturally Minded Lewis County and a collection of city and state officials.
Around 2:30 p.m., a smaller group including Centralia Mayor Chris Brewer and Deputy Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston broke off to visit Washington’s grave in a brief ceremony that included reflection on the founder’s legacy and the laying of a wreath of white flowers at the base of his gravestone in Washington Lawn Cemetery, which he donated to the city.
“I think about how one of the things that has been passed down for generations is that his laugh can be heard a block away, and that even in the hardship, he must have been a joyous man,” Smith Johnston said at the gravesite.
Local historian Heather Beaird kicked off the speakers at the main celebration and shared stories from Washington’s life. She described a giving, hopeful and principled man who donated land for the community he and his wife wanted to build. He was a man who would not tolerate vices and loved his community even when discrimination found him once again in the city he founded, she said.
She recognized Washington as one of many impactful families to settle the area. Three other notable men settled first — Sidney Ford, George Waunch and Joseph Borst — but, as she told it, Washington, unlike the others, plotted his settlement with the specific intention of developing a city at the confluence of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers.
“The town was four blocks square and included the land we are currently on today,” Beaird said. “It included Main Street, East and West Front Streets, which are today's Tower Avenue and Pearl Street, as well as Gold, Diamond, Magnolia, Locust, Maple and Pine streets.”
She went on to detail the stories of his giving, including donating his home to become the area's first school as well as land for the town's first Baptist congregation and for Washington Lawn Cemetery, where he and his family are now buried.
Beaird also emphasized that while he settled the town in pursuit of equality and freedom, he still faced discrimination, despite his contributions and status as a wealthy man and leader in the community.
“In the town that he founded, fostered and literally fed, he chose to leave the church for which he donated the land and the lumber. Once more, folks joined who were uncomfortable worshiping with a Black man,” Beaird said. “I say this not to cast a shadow on such a shining story, but to remind us that we can always do better.”
The main event also featured notable recognition from Washington state of the Centerville founder’s contributions and legacy.
Washington Assistant Attorney General Raina Wagner spoke on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office. Washington state Governor’s Office Outreach Representative John Anderson recited a proclamation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson earlier this month that recognized Aug. 15, 2026, as Founder of Centralia George Washington Day.
“To celebrate George Washington's 200th birthday, Centralia dedicated a bronze statue of George Washington and Mary Jane Washington, sculpted by Lewis County resident James Stafford, and created a scholarship at Centralia College, and whereas Washington state remembers and celebrates the contributions, selflessness and vision of George Washington more than 150 years after the founding of Centralia,” reads a line from the proclamation.
George Washington was born in Virginia on Aug. 15, 1817, and died shortly after his 88th birthday, on Aug. 26, 1905.
The event also included a prerecorded video from Ferguson recognizing the importance of Washington and the Founder’s Day celebration in preserving Washington state history.
“It takes all of us to know our history, appreciate our history, and promote our history in order to keep it alive, and that's why I just so appreciate all of you doing exactly that,” Ferguson said in the video.
Multiculturally Minded Lewis County Founder Lea Green and fellow leader Jim McCully also spoke briefly, with Green introducing and thanking McCully for driving the effort behind the state proclamation and appearances from the state officials. McCully once more emphasized the importance of the legacy Washington left behind in dedication and service to the community.
“George's vision is so amazing because … it is so unique to hear a person with that type of wealth that would give back to his community,” McCully said. “Everybody should use that as a blueprint, because he was not about himself. He was about community. No matter what he was going through, he knew people hated him, but he went above that.”
The event also offered food pantry bags for any community members in need of food and essentials. The effort was organized by the Centralia Downtown Association with support and sponsorships from the community. According to CDA Executive Director MacKenzie McGee, the bags assembled 1,800 pounds of food.
