A history of Mount Vernon,
since 1870
Postcards, papers and photographs of Mount Vernon from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Jasper Gates and Joseph Dwelley first settled on the banks of the Skagit River, where the city of Mount Vernon now lies, in 1870. Later on, Harrison Clothier came to the community in 1877 to teach school and join in business with a former student, E.G. English. They were later recognized as the city's founders and pioneer businessmen. A post office was established in November 1877 with Clothier appointed postmaster. The city was named after Mount Vernon, the plantation estate and resting place of George Washington. The two men laid out the city's first plan while the area was still heavily timbered.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Mount Vernon’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
3 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewMount Vernon, Washington, in 1880, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Mount Vernon
See all 22 →
Mount Vernon, decade by decade
CommonsUnión Interparlamentaria San Luís (EAI, p10-11)1904
CommonsMount Vernon, Washington, in 19051905
CommonsBusiness street in Mount Vernon1908
CommonsMount Vernon1908
CommonsMount Vernon1908
CommonsMount Vernon1908
CommonsMount Vernon residence street1908
CommonsPacific Coast Condensed Milk Co., Mount Vernon1908
CommonsStorage tanks of the Mount Vernon Oil Co., Mount Vernon1908
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Mount Vernon, Washington, in 1880 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.