George Washington Park is a city park located in the Centralia Downtown Historic District of Centralia, Washington. The public square was established in 1881 and was part of the original plat of the town, founded by George and Mary Jane Washington in 1875. Into the 20th century, the grounds were also known as City Park and Main Street Park.
The site, home to a large number and variety of trees, is home to the city's Carnegie library, built in 1913, and a notable feature within the park is an octagonal gazebo.
George Washington is honored at the park with several memorials, including a stone monument and plaque, and a life-size family sculpture that includes his wife Mary Jane, and their dog, Rockwood. Local and national historical events, as well as military veterans who served or died in times of war, are memorialized at the park. Monuments and plaques include a marker to recognize a campaign stop by President Bill Clinton, the Freedom Walk Memorial, and a plaque remembering the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The American Legion military parade that became part of the Centralia Tragedy in November 1919 originated from the park. In memory of the Armistice Day Riot, the park contains the American Legion sculpture, The Sentinel, and an International Workers of the World granite-block memorial.
In the 21st century, George Washington Park has been a central site in the city for celebrations, such as an annual Juneteenth festival and a Founder's Day event held every August; the city holds a Christmas tree lighting ceremony every year on the grounds. Local and national protests are often organized at the park and vandalism, along with the use of the grounds by homeless people, have been ongoing issues for the city.
Background George Washington was the fourth known American settler in Lewis County, staking a Donation Land Claim at the junction of the Chehalis and Skookumchuck rivers in 1852, attempting to find a "decent place in the world" free from discrimination. Washington's land claim was originally placed under Anna and James Cochran(e), a white family that had raised George since near his birth. At the time, the area was under the governance of the Oregon Territory, which did not allow Black people to own or settle land. The Cochran's deeded the land back to Washington in 1856, who had "proved up" the claim over the four-year period, which included the construction of a cabin and a farm. The area was now part of the Washington Territory, which had no laws prohibiting Black ownership.
Washington and his wife, Mary Jane, originally established and platted the town of Centerville in 1875; the Washington's are recorded as founding the largest city in the United States by a Black couple. The community became known as Centralia in 1883 and was open to all settlers; Washington offered lots for sale to any new resident for . The Washington's never intended the town to be a Black settlement nor a harbor for those attempting to escape segregation. George Washington, who became known as "Uncle George" to local schoolchildren, had thought that "his townspeople" should be not be judged or respected based solely on skin color, but by "individual merit".
Born out of celebrating Washington's 200th birthday in August 2017, the city officially declared in 2023 that every August 15th was to be known as Founder's Day. An annual Founder's Day celebration is held at the park during the month; the first event was held on August 12, 2023.
History George Washington Park is situated on one of the original platted parcels in the early town of Centerville. The grounds were planned by the Washington's to be for use as a public square in 1881; the site was first known as City Park and also as Main Street Park.
The day George Washington died in 1905, an annual meeting for the Soldiers and Pioneer Association of Lewis County was being held at the park. The "father of Chehalis", William West, who was witness to the Washington's submitted plat for Centralia, was in attendance. A school band from the Washington State Reform School performed and it has been theorized that Washington may have heard the music during his last hours from his home blocks away on Chestnut Street.
The city's Carnegie library was built on the grounds in 1913. During the mid-1910s, the park was reported to be used by young women for immoral means, using the bandstand for "spooning in the dark" and the grounds as a meeting place for "love-making" that failed the "rules of ordinary propriety". The Women's Civic Club of Centralia volunteered oversight, maintenance, and upkeep of the park in 1916. The group began to "beautify" the grounds, organizing other volunteers and businesses to help in the effort. An ongoing issue regarding rubbish led the city to install four trash cans, along with signs that asked visitors to not "throw trash on the lawn". The club also hired a man to clean George Washington Park every morning.
In the latter part of the 1910s, plans at the site included the build of a city hall in 1919 and a city jail. The prison was to be designed with a flat roof so it could be used for band performances; neither building was constructed.
An elm tree in honor of World War I soldiers related to members of the Centralia branch of the Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs was planted on the grounds in June 1919. The American Legion military parade that became part of the Centralia Tragedy in November 1919 began from the park.
A marble bench was created in Washington's honor and included the inscription, "In memory of George Washington, donor of this park". The bench was formally accepted by the city and dedicated during a ceremony on Memorial Day, 1922. The bench was "smashed in half by Halloween hoodlums" in 1928; the seat remained broken into the next year and was removed. The bench was restored and reinstalled at the park where it remained for decades. Three city departments helped to create and install a new iron flag pole at the park in 1923.
Vice-president Charles G. Dawes, in the city as part of an invitation from the American Legion, gave a speech at the park in September 1925. Standing at the base of The Sentinel, he was reported to speak briefly but patriotically, and the crowd of "several thousand" was noted to have given Dawes an "enthusiastic welcome".
A Kwanzan cherry tree was planted on the grounds in 1965 as part of a "Roots of Friendship" program with Kobe, Japan. Shrubs and other plants from the park were transplanted to other recreation sites in the city during an expansion of the library in 1977. A new irrigation system was installed during the efforts. In July, the park was closed down until the expansion project was completed due to increased vandalism. Six maple trees were cut down due to a combination of rot and a root system that interfered with the expanded footprint of the library. Replaced with honey locust, the maples were used as firewood at Fort Borst Park. Maples were still noted to be growing around the perimeter of the park.
21st century A community organization in Lewis County, known as Members of Open Arms, began tacking cold-weather clothing, such as hats, mittens, and scarves, to trees in the park in January 2017; the items were meant for homeless people in Centralia. The effort, though supported by some elected officials, left behind staples that could have potentially caused damage to the trees; as the action was also against city code, the clothes were removed. The group apologized to the city council the next week, admitting to going "overboard".
The city's first official celebration of Juneteenth was held at George Washington Park in 2021. Focused around Washington's plaque memorial on the grounds, the event included historical accounts of the Washingtons and the holiday, as well as music and poetry readings from Black artists. A city councilman was recorded to have been "dumbfounded" that Centralia went "so long without formally celebrating the holiday" considering the establishment of the community by a Black family.
Ongoing issues of homeless people sheltering in the park by 2023 led to the installation of a surveillance camera. During the same year, in an effort to lower criminal activity, homeless residency, and rule-breaking in any Centralia park, the parks department was granted powers through a city ordinance that "temporarily or permanently ban[s] individuals and groups from city parks". By July 2025, 20 people had been officially excluded from George Washington Park; the parks department noted that not all the exclusion orders were directed towards homeless persons.
Approximately $900 in damages to the park's lawn occurred in July 2023 after a vehicle drove through the grounds, creating donut patterns in the grass. Several people were almost hit during the weekday afternoon incident. The driver was apprehended and charged days later, apologizing for the incident after admitting he "had a moment".
Protests Organized protests in the 21st century at George Washington Park include a demonstration and vigil that began in 2001 against the Iraq War. Originally begun by a group of eight that lacked any formal leadership, the protest was reported to have been held continuously every Saturday into 2011. An Occupy Wall Street protest was held in October the same year.
A gathering in opposition to police brutality occurred in May 2020 days after the death of George Floyd. Centralia was one of 75 cities in the United States to hold such a protest.
The park was part of a larger, regional and state-wide No Kings protest in October 2025. A minor counter-protest was present for moments throughout the day, but the overall event was noted to be without incidents and "joyful despite the serious theme of the protest". A demonstration and vigil was held on the grounds in January 2026 after the killing of Renée Good. The park was the site of the March 2026 No Kings protests; the following month a dissent as part of the Communities Not Cages National Day of Action to Stop ICE Warehouse Detention was organized at the park.
Geography
George Washington Park is located in the center of Centralia, Washington. The grounds are situated near the downtown business core, also known as the Centralia Downtown Historic District. The park is contained in one square block bordered by Harrison, Main, and Pearl streets. The city's Carnegie Public Library is located within the grounds.
The square is surrounded by commercial office buildings and across from the Centralia Post Office, an historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Features and amenities A main feature of the park is a bandstand and gazebo, erected in the 1920s; the gazebo is possibly the second of its type in the same location on the grounds. Located in the northwest section of the park, the octagonal structure was noted at the time of its construction to be -tall to the platform, which was accessed by a small door under the floor and a set of stairs. At the time of a major renovation of the structure in 2006, the gazebo featured a cedar shake roof and a beadboard ceiling from which a single light was hung. By the 2000s, the roof had deteriorated and water leaks were common. Labor included the replacement of rotted wooden posts, the floor of the bandstand, and other portions that had noticeable decay. Other efforts of the estimated project included an upgrade to a multiple light system for the bandstand.
The park contains a variety of trees; by 2020, the park was listed to have a minimum of 39 trees during a city-wide study.
Extinct features
The park once contained a fountain which was noted to be in existence as early as 1907; the feature was refurbished with new paint and a "spray put in" in 1919. By the 1950s, the fountain was stocked with goldfish; households in Centralia were called to donate "spare" fish in 1951. The fountain was noted to no longer exist by 1971.