Founded in 1839, seven years before the State of Iowa was established, Washington has a long and storied history—one that is always on display with its historic buildings and homes.

Want to see a movie in the exact location where patrons first saw moving pictures? Washington’s State Theater, formerly known as The Graham Opera House, has been in operation since May 14, 1897, and has been certified as the world’s oldest continuously operating cinema theatre, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The theater shows first-run movies in a historically preserved theater that offers all the modern conveniences such as digital projection, surround sound and new seats.

In addition to being the birthplace of cinema, there’s more to see and learn about local history from the Conger House Museum, the F Troop Military Museum, and we offer self-driving tours of historic homes and barn quilts. In fact, Washington is the official ‘Barn Quilt Capital of Iowa’ and our self-driving tour affords visitors an opportunity to see the countryside around our city while enjoying the lovely quilts painted on the large barns on well-kept farms.

The Barn Quilt Project & Committee

Washington County’s Barn Quilts started in 2007 with a local committee who began with the purpose of preserving our area barns. These barn quilts tell stories about individual farms while adding visual interest to the countryside and increasing rural tourism. A committee led by Terry & Julie Mangold (featured on the Agriculture Loop with Cows in the Pasture) began planning, identifying potential barns, and fundraising. The project divided the county into four loops, each with a name that announces a theme informing color and pattern selection. As many as 15-20 barn quilts would go up in one loop per year. While many of the loops are located on hard-surfaced roads, we invite you to cut across an unpaved road and even discover a new location.

Many out-of-state visitors are surprised to discover that glaciers created Washington County, carving the landscape into a series of drift plains, rolling hills, and shallow valleys. Pioneers were surrounded by prairie grasses and wildflowers that are still visible in over 2,100 protected areas. Agriculture (corn, soybeans, pork, cattle, turkeys, sheep) remains the county’s predominant economic activity.

We invite you to wind through the beautiful SE Iowa countryside and visit our Barn Quilts. We have 4 loops: the Amish loop, Ag loop, Nature loop and Liberty loop. We’re glad you’re here in Washington County and hope your Barn Quilt Tour is a safe and enjoyable one. Please:

• Observe traffic laws. Remember: Amish buggies have the same traffic rights as cars.
• Be aware of vehicles behind you if you slow down to observe a barn quilt.
• The wide shoulders on our roads are used by the Amish buggies. Please do not park here!
• Be respectful of rights-of-way and owners’ property if you stop.
• Take only photos; leave nothing else behind.
• You may start the tour at any point on the loop. Traveling one loop without stopping should take approximately an hour.

Download our Barn Quilt Brochure.