Welcome to Harrington, Friends! I thought I’d give you a glimpse of my Memorial Day weekend. Harrington is a tiny little town in Eastern Washington. When I say “tiny” I really mean that it’s the smallest town that I have ever seen in my entire life. My husband’s grandma lives there. She’s been there for her entire life, and at 89 years old, has no intention of leaving. I love visiting because it’s such a different life than we are used to. It’s a slower pace, where everyone knows everyone, and friends stop by just because they see your car is there.
Here’s the town. Sadly, the town is virtually deserted. People still live there, but the stores are empty and boarded up. It breaks my heart to see this beautiful town grow into a ghost town.
It’s the kind of town where kids push dump trucks around in their yards.
It’s the kind of town where there are more churches than stores.
Everywhere you look, there are cool old windows, beautiful arcitechture, and amazing brick buildings.
Faded murals adorn the sides of the old buildings.
At one time there was a theater, hotel, opera house, and town hall. Now, all that is left is a small mini-mart and tavern.
The cemetary is the place to go over Memorial Day weekend. It’s the destination place for everyone who has a loved one who has been laid to rest in Harrington.
People spend time catching up with old friends, wishing them well, and telling them that they’ll see them again next year. “Same time, same place.”
The houses are beautiful and come with a history of their own.
It’s farmland, as far as you can see in Harrington.
My kids love this little town and love visiting Great Grandma.
It really makes you slow down and think… in so many ways.
The Comments
Anonymous
I'm ready to move!! Love small towns; I grew up in one and I miss that way of life. Now living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex…..yeah.
CAS
It's a sad kind of beauty to think about what this little town used to be and how it is fading away. We have some small towns like that in our area as well, but the desert climate is even less kind than the rain would be. So glad you can share this kind of history with your children.
CAS
Bruce
Thank you so much for the pictures and the narrative. I wish so much I could live there. I passionately love small rural agricultural towns this size. God Bless!
Michael R.
That whole highway 2 has interesting old towns. I have taken drone videos of many of them. I post them on youtube.
Michael Cronrath
Becca…
I hope you have come back in recent years. Harrington is living, and vibrant. I think you would be very happy by what you see. Businesses are growing, buildings revitalized, and active and involved community members.
Hope to see you soon,
Shelley Q
I live in harrington (well on my farm 10 miles outside of town). Im so curious who your husband’s grandmother was because of course, as a 5th generation Harringtonian, i would have known her. I stumbled on this aged post (i’m loathe to recognize that 2012 was 13 years ago) and have to wonder when you last visited? It has been more than a dozen years aince this post and we now have 6 thriving fill time businesses on main street as well as four more that work on a more pop-up or event basis (such as concerts and comedy shows). We have bustling community events and those faded murals have been restored. If your husbands grandmother has passed, my condolences and i’m sure she was beloved. if not, way to go grandma! Even if she’s Not your reason to come anymore, stop by Harrington some time (not on sunday and Monday, we’re still a small town and businesses are closed) and see the beauty and growth of restoration and renewal, you won’t regret it!
Becca
> Shelley QIt’s so nice to hear that Harrington is thriving. We used to visit Great Grandma at least every Memorial Day weekend. She’s been gone several years now, I think around 10 years. Her name was Jean. She lived in a pink house on Main Street. Her sister’s name was Laura, and Laura’s family lived in Odessa. My mother-in-law, Nancy, grew up in the pink house on Main Street. (I didn’t want to share last names just to be safe.) Thanks for commenting! I’m happy to hear about Harrington. We sure loved it there