Washington Township includes the villages of Woodville, New Preston, Marbledale, Washington, and Washington Depot. Its eastern section, first settled by Joseph Hurlbut in 1734, was known as the Parish of Judea and belonged to Woodbury, while its western section, first settled in 1741, was called the Parish of New Preston and belonged to New Milford. The present town was incorporated in 1779 and named in honor of General George Washington, who traveled through the area several times during the war and breakfasted with his staff at Squire Cogswell’s tavern in New Preston on Friday, May 25, 1781. For many years Washington was principally a farming community, with early local industries including ironworks and quarries run by waterpower along the Shepaug and Aspetuck Rivers. Its economy now consists of small retail outlets, a few remaining farms, and several well-established private schools. Among its distinguished sons were Major William Cogswell, Daniel N. Brinsmade, Ephraim Kirby, Horace Bushnell, Frederick W. Gunn, Gideon H. Hollister, Orville H. Platt, William Hamilton Gibson, and Major General Benjamin D. Foulois, whose careers included military service, law, preaching, writing, education, politics, art, natural history, and early military aviation.