History · St. John

A history of St. John,
then and now

Postcards, papers and photographs of St. John from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

6old images & papers

0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

St. John was founded and named in the late 1880s for settler Edward Talbert St. John. St. John was officially incorporated on March 10, 1904.

Edward Talbert St. John (1812–1894) was the son of Pierce St. John and Mary Talbot/Talbert. Before making his way to Whitman County, Washington he abandoned his family in Indiana around 1845. He seems to have wandered around before settling in Whitman and founding the town of St. John.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below

c. 1863Margaret St. John, St. John, Washington, circa …Commons

1870s2 items · Marriage certificate of Franklin and …Document

1890s3 items · Untitled photoCommons

1900–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.

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Finish St. John’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewMargaret St. John, St. John, Wash…, c. 1863: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from St. John

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Mike LowryPolitics & Law FQFrank B. QueenNotable

By decade

St. John, decade by decade

1860s1 item

Margaret St. John, St. John, Washington, circa 1863 - DPLA - e9b1c152a9a5e4549b4df8d3f500fb75

CommonsMargaret St. John, St. John, Washington, circa 1863 - DPLA …c. 1863 · postcard

1870s2 papers

Marriage certificate of Franklin and Martha Nickerson, of St. John, Washington, 1875 - DPLA - bd3d6040141954e455d561900…

DocumentMarriage certificate of Franklin and Martha Nickerson, of S…1875

Marriage certificate of Franklin and Martha Nickerson, of St. John, Washington, 1875 - DPLA - d89065373561c9f3275e2ccbb…

DocumentMarriage certificate of Franklin and Martha Nickerson, of S…1875

1890s3 items

CommonsUntitled photo1890

Franklin Arlington Nickerson, of St. John, Washington, circa 1892 - DPLA - 618cdac664a177770cdb85cf00ce3347 (page 1)

CommonsFranklin Arlington Nickerson, of St. John, Washington, circ…c. 1892 · postcard

Franklin Arlington Nickerson, of St. John, Washington, circa 1892 - DPLA - 618cdac664a177770cdb85cf00ce3347 (page 2)

CommonsFranklin Arlington Nickerson, of St. John, Washington, circ…c. 1892

1900s–
1990s

Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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