Govan, Washington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Govan, Washington
Unincorporated community and Ghost town
Govan Schoolhouse 2011.jpg
Govan, Washington is located in Washington (state)
Govan, Washington
Govan, Washington
Coordinates: 47°44′20″N 118°49′23″W / 47.73889°N 118.82306°W / 47.73889; -118.82306Coordinates: 47°44′20″N 118°49′23″W / 47.73889°N 118.82306°W / 47.73889; -118.82306
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyLincoln
Elevation
2,100 ft (600 m)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
99185
Area code(s)509
GNIS feature ID1511003[1]

Govan is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, in US state of Washington. Today an abandoned school house, post office and grain elevator, along with a few houses both abandoned and occupied, are all that remain. It is considered to be a ghost town.[2]

History[]

The school house in Govan was built in 1905 and shut down in the 1940s. The steeple on the building toppled over in 2019. Two fires came through Govan, the most recent in 1974, that ultimately led to the town's abandonment. As of 2019 the population of the area was just three people.[3]

Multiple unsolved murders took place in Govan before it was abandoned. In December of 1902, Judge J.A. Lewis and his wife were murdered with an axe at their home in Govan. Robbery, as they were quite wealthy, was considered to be the motive. It was referred to at the time as "one of the most atrocious murders in the history of the state."[4] In 1941 a woman was found murdered on her farm in Govan around the same time that her son went missing. The son's body was found in nearby fields eight years later.[3]

Gallery[]

  • Side of abandoned 1906 schoolhouse in Govan

  • Abandoned 1906 schoolhouse in Govan

References[]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Govan, Washington
  2. ^ "Ghosttown.com". ghosttown.com. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  3. ^ a b Erickson, Anne (1 November 2019). "Govan Schoolhouse tells stories of Washington ghost town". KING 5. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  4. ^ "A Horrible Murder". The Washington Standard. 26 December 1902. Retrieved 26 October 2021.


Stub icon

This Lincoln County, Washington state location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""