Old Washington Historic District

Old Washington is a village in Guernsey County, Ohio, that grew along the National Road, later U.S. 40. Henry and George Beymer laid it out in 1805 as New Washington, on Zane's Trace, and it became known as Beymerstown. It is described as the oldest permanent settlement in the county. Main Street remains the village backbone, lined with rectangular brick and frame buildings of the first half of the 19th century. Early brick houses are typically five bays wide with center entrances, plain stone lintels and gable roofs. Later brick buildings are larger and carry Italianate trim. Notable examples include the Albert Lawrence House, the American Hotel, the First Presbyterian Church built in 1859-1861, and an 1830 building on lot 82. Population peaked at 759 in 1850, after which the town declined. With no important railroad or canal, few houses were built after the 1860s, which helped preserve the historic streetscape, although a number of buildings are now deteriorated.