Research

Looking for historical photographs? Trying to remember the name of a Washington business from the past? Want to find out who was the original owner of a downtown home? The Ralph Gregory Library located on the lower level of the museum offers many local history resources to help you with your search:

 

The Kiel File – Compiled by Herman Kiel, these binders contain newspaper articles from the late 1800s-1920s – some of which are translated from original German language publications. Volumes are organized and indexed by community and last name.

 

City Directories – Dating back to the 1920s, the city directories in our museum library can be used to look up locations by address, phone number or business name.

 

National Register for Historical Places – Written in the 1990s and 2000s, you can use this resource to look up buildings by address to find information about the historical districts in Washington.

 

Architectural Inventory – Includes historic surveys created for the Missouri Society for Historic Preservation in the 1980s and 90s.

 

Computer Archive Collection – More than 11,000 scanned images can be accessed through the public computer in the museum library. You can view, print or download to your own storage drive.

 

Online Resources – Access to Ancestry.com, Fold3, Newspapers.com and other online resources available through a partnership with Scenic Regional Library

 

City Council Minutes on Microfilm

 

Books about Washington-area and Missouri history

 

Museum staff and volunteers can help direct you to the best resources for your search.