Palouse, Washington (population 1,892) is situated in the Palouse Region of southeastern Washington and northern Idaho, an area of rolling hills and farmland that has been devoted to agriculture, particularly such field crops as wheat, oats, barley, and flax straw. Palouse is located in Whitman County, which was organized by the territorial legislature in 1871.
Palouse’s Main Street was designated a Historic District in 1986 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The community is restoring the Roy Chatters Print Museum, originally constructed in 1892 as a retail business and later converted to a newspaper office. Visitors are greeted by a seventh-generation printer, who leads a tour on historical ways to deliver the news. The museum is operated by the Whitman County Historical Society, which also owns the 1896 Episcopal Church, also undergoing renovations.
The city’s nearly completed Heritage Park was built by volunteers and will feature antique farming equipment.
Every year in July, the Palouse Community Center hosts an ice cream social, featuring an old-time band and homemade pie and ice cream. The museum is open, and an art walk features Palouse artisans displaying their works throughout the town’s historic buildings.
Designated a Preserve America Community in January 2006.