In the dense forest of Northwestern Pennsylvania, a regional community developed in 1797 due to the spirit of two individuals, Alexander Hamilton and William Culbertson. Iroquois, Cornplanter and Eriez Indians in the area referred to the region as Conneauttee or “Valley of the Living Snowflake.” The first colony numbered about fifty settlers who built homes near Culbertson’s gristmill near the outlet of Conneauttee Lake, which is now known as Edinboro Lake. In 1803, the region was incorporated under the name of Conneauttee Township. In 1834, the area was renamed Washington Township.
Washington Township encompasses 44.04 square miles and maintains 73.14 miles of local roads. The Township has a population of approximately 4500 according to the 2000 census reports and is recognized for its natural beauty and its “rural quality of life.” The current real estate millage is set at .81 mills with a total assessed valuation of more than $237,000,000. The Township is a progressive residential-business-agricultural community which includes individual estate-size properties, upscale residential developments, neighborhood areas of smaller-sized homes sites and some scenic, working farms.
The Township’s extensive park system provides recreational green space access for all residents, and its planned commercial development corridors are home to businesses, services, and light industries, as well as a large national chain store shopping mall conveniently sited at the I-79 interchange. The Township provides public water and sewer to some areas. The region offers diverse recreation activities during both the summer and winter. Swimming and boating on Edinboro Lake have attracted annual summer visitors. Visitors can enjoy skiing and tubing at area ski resorts and golfing at the areas many first-class courses.
