It’s that time again! PHW’s 35th Holiday House Tour will be held on December 3 and 4. The Preview Party will kick off the event from 6-9 PM on December 3. Daylight tours on December 4 will run from 1-5 PM. The Bough and Dough Shop will be open that weekend at the Winchester Little Theater for your holiday decorating and gifting needs.
Tickets will go on sale in about two and a half weeks. Stay tuned for more info on the tour stops, ticket sales, and more in the interim!
If you couldn’t attend the National Preservation Conference in Buffalo this year, the National Trust has announced that you still have a chance to catch livestreams of plenaries and general sessions on Ustream. The scheduled broadcasts are:
• Opening Plenary (with keynote speaker James Howard Kunstler)
Wednesday, Oct. 19
4-6 pm EST
• General Session: Preservation in the Age of Sustainability
Thursday, Oct. 20
8-9:30 am EST
• General Session: Thinking about Shrinking
Friday, Oct. 21
8-9:30 am EST
• Closing Plenary (with keynote speaker Isabel Wilkerson)
Saturday, Oct. 22
10:30 am-12 pm EST
You can catch these livestreams — as well as links to other social media coverage of the conference — on the National Preservation Conference homepage at www.preservationnation.org/resources/training/npc/.
The updated survey forms for the Winchester National Historic Register update process are now available at the PHW office for researchers. The forms provide a starting point for the historic tax credit process to determine eligibility, as well as being a valuable starting point for more in-depth exploration of the history of a building.
As we know, there are more historic properties in Winchester than just the downtown. To view the full list of registered properties, visit the Virginia Department of Historic Resources at http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/register_Winchester.htm.
It’s almost time for two of the most anticipated events in the history and preservation community from September 24-27. The activities begin with the Civil War Weekend on Saturday, September 24, with nine sites and programs at various times and locations.
The Preservation Virginia Conference begins the afternoon of Sunday, September 25 in Winchester. The conference registration is nearly full; for inquiries on reservations, please call Alexis Feria at 804-648-1889, ext. 300 or e-mail aferia@preservationvirginia.org. The preliminary conference program is available for download at http://preservationvirginia.org/Conference/preliminaryProgram08.pdf.
We hope to see you there!
As we were reminded on Tuesday, we can experience earthquakes in our region. Are you thinking now about ways to retrofit your historic building to better withstand future seismic activity? Consider reading Preservation Brief 41: The Seismic Retrofit of Historic Buildings, part of the series of technical briefs produced by the National Park Service to aid in the proper maintenance and rehabilitation of historic structures.
Find more Preservation Briefs online at http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/presbhom.htm.
Registration is now open for the 26th Annual Virginia Preservation Conference: Historic Preservation & Community Engagement: Saving Places that Matter
Dates: September 25 – September 27, 2011
Location: George Washington Hotel, Winchester, Virginia
Cost: $159.00; Preservation Virginia members receive a 10% discount
Registration includes: Registration for all sessions; walking tour of Winchester on Sunday, Sunday night reception, continental breakfasts, Annual Preservation Awards lunch on Monday, Monday night reception (cash bar), conference materials, and access the conference bookstore.
Online registration, preliminary program, and more information at: http://www.preservationvirginia.org/Conference/
The French and Indian War Foundation announces a bus tour on August 27 to Fort Frederick State Park in Maryland to see 18th century French, British and American Indian reenactors. Lunch is available for purchase on site. Additional stops at other fort sites on the way to and from Fort Frederick will be included as time permits.
Cost: $50 per person, $35 for students.
Contact: Alan Morrison, 540-667-5978 or amorison@att.net
Online at: frenchandindianwarfoundation.org
Celebrating Patsy Cline is nearing the completion of its vision to open Patsy Cline’s home of South Kent Street as a house museum on Tuesday. The tour includes the living room, dining room, a bedroom, and kitchen. The docent-guided tours will take about 35 to 45 minutes. The home is furnished with authentic memorabilia and period pieces, reflecting Patsy Cline’s life from 1948 to 1957 when she called 608 South Kent Street home.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for a special ceremony on September 3 to commemorate the opening of the house, coinciding with the annual visit of the Always Patsy Cline Fan Club to Winchester.
For more information, call 540-662-5555 or visit celebratingpatsycline.org.
Hours through Oct. 31 are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Cost is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 65 and older, $4 for ages 11 to 18, and free for military and ages 10 and under.
Click here for the article in The Winchester Star (login required).
Step back in time, dance,and be merry! The Shenandoah Moonlight Ball is a free, family-friendly traditional southern ball in historic downtown Winchester. Period dance instruction is provided by the Victorian Dance Ensemble and music provided by Susquehanna Travellers. Period, casual or formal attire.
Date: Saturday, July 30, 2011
Time: 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
Venue: First Presbyterian Church, 116 South Loudoun Street, Winchester VA
Phone: (540) 662-4946
Email: wincparks@ci.winchester.va.us
Cost: FREE!
Do you remember when the Toll House on Amherst Street was blue? This image was taken in the late 1980s, shortly before PHW purchased the property through the Jennings Revolving Fund and placed restrictive covenants in the deed to ensure its continued preservation.
The building is getting a facelift with the removal of the stucco siding to reveal the wooden siding beneath. Similar projects have taken place on North Washington Street in recent years. We hope this stucco removal yields equally amazing results!