George Washington's gravesite at Washington Lawn Cemetery was the site of a ceremony during Founder's Day on Saturday, Aug. 9.
The event by the Centralia Downtown Association included a volunteer cleanup event in George Washington Park, a 5K fun run, a communuty mural, music and more.
In 2023, the CDA worked with Centralia City Council to proclaim Aug. 15, George Washington’s birthday, as Founder’s Day in Centralia with the goal of hosting an annual event to honor George and Mary Jane Washington.
Following his birth, Washington’s father was sold to a plantation further south, some believe as punishment, and his mother gave him to Washington’s adoptive parents, James and Anna Cochran. A self-educated and successful businessman, Washington faced discriminatory laws and racist people throughout his life, eventually settling in the Oregon Territory in 1852 along with his adoptive parents.
He filed the original plat that established the town of Centerville, later changed to Centralia, in 1875.
