Idyllic.  It's indicative of the character of early Washington that this charming house was only one block from the very center of town, which is to the right of this photo. The wrought-iron fence is surrounding the yard of another fine house that is just out of camera range. Washington was loaded with houses such as this, many of them huddled close to the business section, which gave it a small-town, Mayberry-ish aura. But one by one, they fell prey to that inexorable demon, Progress. The structure in the background, for instance, is the Hotel Windsor, which began life as a private residence for James Sullivan, and was later purchased by the town, promptly razed, with the land being used as a parking lot for many years, eventually becoming the location of the Borough Hall. Unfortunately for the Christine house in the center of the photo, the town will soon be up to its tricks again: two years after this photo, the town will purchase this house and property, and immediately pull down the house to make way for a new post office building. Hhummph . . . progress, indeed.  (Photo by Harry Minassian).