Washington Township's 197th Anniversary event is tomorrow, April 12, so let's take a look at an example of how the town has celebrated its history.
In the June 10, 1992 edition of The Romeo Observer, Karen Hamilton took this photo of two women in historical costumes standing on the porch of the Loren Andrus Octagon House. But why? Well, I'll tell you. The first Sunday in June is Super Sunday in Washington Township. Every year, people come to the Washington Historical Museum for a variety of activities. These include checking out the Craft Show and Country Market, which featured over 100 exhibitors that year. In addition, the Washington Lions Club held their annual Classic Car and Truck show and cooked chicken for the Bar-B-Q for visitors that day. Clowns, concerts, members of the 6th Michigan Calvary renacting Civil-War era maneuvers were present as well.
These women, who have not been identified, were also at Super Sunday. As hostesses, they guided visitors around the Octagon House. Since that building is undoubtly one of Washington Township's most prized possessions, it's no wonder that the Greater Washington Area Historical Society made it an important part of that Super Sunday. They wanted to celebreate their history, and what better way to do than have the members of the Friends of the Octagon House give tours of a home built by 1860.
I hope everyone had a good time at that Super Sunday. This year's event will take place on Sunday, June 2.
Happy 197th Birthday, Washington Township!
To discover more about the history of Washington Township, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org and/or check out the Washington Historical Museum. The latter is open 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the Month from June through November.
Source: The Romeo Observer, June 10, 1992, p.1-B