Elberton, Washington Explained

Elberton
Pushpin Map:Washington
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Washington
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Washington
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Whitman
Established Title1:Incorporated
Established Date1:April 24, 1896
Extinct Title:Disincorporated
Extinct Date:January 14, 1966
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Est:15
Pop Est As Of:as of unknown date
Timezone1:PST
Utc Offset1:-8
Timezone1 Dst:PDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-7
Coordinates:46.9814°N -117.2203°W

Elberton is an uincorporated community on the north fork of the Palouse River northeast of Colfax and northwest of Palouse in Whitman County, Washington, United States. Due to the town's disincorporation in the 1960s, and a low-level population, it is also classified as a ghost town.

Geography

The nearest cities to Elberton are Spokane and Pullman in Washington, Moscow in Idaho, and the Lewiston/Clarkston metropolitan area that spans the two states. It is in the middle of the Columbia River Plateau, in a region called the Palouse.

History

Elberton was first settled by C.D. Wilbur. The townsite was platted in 1886, and named by S.M. Wait for his deceased son Elbert.[1]

Elberton was incorporated as a fourth class town on 24 April 1896. It grew to have a population of 500 and at one time had a sawmill, a flour mill, a railroad (the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company) that passed through and the world's largest prune dryer.[2]

A major fire started in the town in the 1930s and due to the Great Depression, many of the businesses and homes destroyed by the fire were too costly to rebuild. The fire, along with the Depression hurt the town greatly and it started to decline in population, with people packing up what they could carry and abandoning their homes that they could no longer afford to keep and maintain.

In November 1966, residents of Elberton voted 15–5 in favor of dis-incorporation.[3] Elberton became part of unincorporated Whitman County, Washington again within four years, when the county acquired the property of the town., Eleberton is the last instance of a municipality in Washington voting to disincorporate.[4]

Currently, about 15 people live in the 200acres area that once was Elberton.[4] Many of the original homes and buildings have gone or are partially collapsed. Remaining landmarks include United Brethren Church (built in 1913) and the Elberton Cemetery.[5]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Majors, Harry M. . Exploring Washington . Van Winkle Publishing Co . 1975 . 143 . 978-0-918664-00-6.
  2. Web site: Benoit . Matt . Haunting a Ghost Town . . 16 September 2018 . en . 2 October 2013.
  3. News: Prune Town Dries Up . . 19 November 1966 . 14-A.
  4. News: Cooley . Megan . City's demise could mean state control . 11 September 2022 . The Spokesman Review . 5 March 2005.
  5. Web site: Lambeth . Robert M. . Ghost Town of Elberton . Spokane Historical . 11 September 2022 . en.