Author: PHW

Document Digitization Project: July 29 and 30

The Civil War 150 Legacy Project is coming to Winchester on July 29-30 at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center. The project is an effort to scan Civil War-era (or related) documents and photographs from private collections.

Citizens are encouraged to bring original family materials to be scanned and included in the Project. This is a unique opportunity to share original family Civil War documents and photographs with a wider audience – without giving up ownership or any rights to those original materials.

Please note:

  • Materials must be originals.
  • Materials must be from private collections.
  • Only flat materials can be scanned; no three-dimensional objects can be included.
  • This is not an appraisal opportunity. (Library of Virginia personnel will not be able to give any kind of valuation to the materials.)

    • Participants in the project should call ahead to make a scanning appointment. Appointments will be scheduled between 10 am and 4pm on both July 29 and 30. To schedule an appointment, participants should call the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center at 540-542-1326.

    The length of the appointments will vary depending upon the material to be scanned:

  • Diary: 30-45 minutes per diary
  • Letter – 5 pages or less: 10 minutes
  • Letter – 6-15 pages: 20 minutes
  • Photograph: 5 minutes per item

    • While the digitizing and display of the materials that have been scanned at previous events is an ongoing process, you can see a sample of what’s been scanned at the “Virginia Memory: CW Legacy Project” section of the Library of Virginia website at http://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/cw150.

    Old Town Winchester Strolling Bridal Show: June 26

    weddingThe shops of Historic Old Town Winchester have so much to offer for your wedding. From the cake, flowers and photography, to the reception and that perfect dress, Old Town Winchester merchants will help make your day special!

    The Strolling Bridal Show is from noon-4:00pm, Sunday, June 26th. Visit participating shops–identified by balloons at the storefronts–and you may win great prizes! Start at Formalities (157 N. Loudoun St.) for your sign-up sheet. The Espresso Bar & Cafe (165 N. Loudoun St.) will be open; stop in to take a break. Shenandoah Carriage Company will be providing complimentary carriage rides.

    Click here for more information on the event.
    Click here for parking and directions.

    Sponsored by Old Town Business Owners Association

    The Clermont Forum: June 24 and 25

    This forum seeks public input on the long-range plans to utilize Clermont Farm in Berryville, Clarke County. This National Register property was bequeathed to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in 2004. The Clermont Foundation manages the assets, archives, and endowment for Clermont Farm, as well as maintaining the active farming and preserving the buildings. They are currently working on a Historic Structures Report and the Long Range Plan for the Use and Interpretation of Clermont.

    This is where your participation is needed. To organize the themes of possible interpretation of Clermont, Professor Warren Hofstra has organized scholars to research and present their findings on seven key historical themes. The presentations and public comments will be used to determine the ultimate use of Clermont. This event is free and open to the public.

    1st Session: June 24, 12:45-2:45 at Grace Church Parish Hall
    Kym Rice – Clermont and the Potential of Public History
    Kenneth E. Koons – Agriculture and Rural Life

    2nd Session: June 24, 3:15-5:00 at Parish Hall, followed by a reception
    Melvin Patrick Ely – House of Bondage, Springboard into Freedom; Clermont and Clarke County’s Black Community
    Karen Hughes White – African American Life at Clermont

    3rd Session: June 25, 9:30-11:30, Old Courthouse, followed by lunch at Parish Hall
    Deborah A. Lee – Women and Domestic-Professional Life at Clermont
    Dennis J. Pogue and Maral S. Kalbian – Architecture and Material Culture at Clermont

    4th Session: June 25, 12:30-2:30, Old Courthouse
    Peter Wallenstien – Legal History and Life in the Law
    Joseph W. A. Whitehorne – Patriots: Clermont Residents’ Military Experiences
    Kathleen Kilpatrick – Reflections and Conclusion

    For more information and to RSVP for the event, please contact Bob Stieg, CEO, The Clermont Foundation, bstieg@msn.com or 540-837-2790.

    Winners Announced for Treasure Hunt Contest

    At PHW’s Annual Meeting on Sunday, eight winners were drawn from a pool of 30 correct entrants. The lucky winners are:

    • Dalton Youngbor of Winchester, recipient of a $20 gift certificate to Bluebells, $25 gift certificate to the Village Square, and a pack of PHW note cards.
    • Mary Tucker of Winchester, recipient of a $20 gift certificate to Bluebells, $25 gift certificate to the Espresso Bar and Cafe, and a pack of PHW note cards.
    • Robin Grenke of Stephens City, recipient of a $20 gift certificate to Bluebells, $25 gift certificate to Piccadilly’s Public House and Restaurant, and a pack of PHW note cards.
    • Tina Huse of Winchester, recipient of a $20 gift certificate to Bluebells, $30 gift certificate to the Dancing Goat Restaurant at the George Washington Hotel, and a pack of oversized postcards of Edward Beyer’s “A View of Winchester” from PHW.
    • Crystal Dunn of Winchester, recipient of a $25 gift certificate to the Village Market Bistro, a two CD set of the audio guided driving tour “Follow the Apple Trail,” and the book Beside a Valley Road by Stewart Bell, Jr.
    • Whip Dutton of Winchester, recipient of a Winchester T-shirt from the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor’s Center, $25 gift certificate to The Final Yard, and a pack of PHW note cards.
    • Marilyn Heath of Winchester, recipient of a $25 gift certificate to Brewbakers and a small framed watercolor of the downtown by Eugene Smith.
    • The DeWitt family of Winchester, recipient of a five person pass to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum and the book Winchester: Limestone, Sycamores & Architecture from PHW.

    Many thanks are due to the Winchester Star for its generous sponsorship of the contest form in the newspaper and the Old Town Development Board for gathering the excellent slate of prizes. Special thanks are also due to the businesses of Old Town Winchester who donated prizes: Bluebells, Brewbakers Restaurant, The Dancing Goat Restaurant, Espresso Bar and Cafe, The Final Yard, Eugene B. Smith Gallery, Piccadilly’s Public House and Restaurant, The Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, The Village Market Bistro, The Village Square, and The Winchester-Frederick County Visitor’s Center.

    The elements on the treasure hunt are:

    1. Brick cornice and entablature at Piccadilly Printing Co., 32 E. Piccadilly St.
    2. Grate under front porch, Godfrey Miller Home, 28 S. Loudoun St.
    3. Hiram Masonic Lodge pediment, 118 N. Loudoun St.
    4. Rouss City Hall, construction date block, 15 N. Cameron St.
    5. George Washington Hotel, decorative belt course, 103 E. Piccadilly St.
    6. Door knocker, 157 N. Loudoun St. (A second eagle door knocker was found by intrepid treasure hunters at 108 W. Cork St.)
    7. Wachovia, parapet decorative elements, 201 N. Loudoun St.
    8. Union Jack Pub,  Lion’s head parapet cap, 101 N. Loudoun St.
    9. Luciole, construction date in lunette above the Cork St. side window, 139-141 S. Loudoun St.
    10. Murphy Beverage Company, bull’s eye window block, 167 N. Loudoun St.
    11. Fanlight and window, the Weaver Building, 1-3 S. Loudoun St.
    12. Espresso Bar and Cafe, window hood, 163-165 N. Loudoun St.

    This contest was so much fun we’re planning to host another soon. Keep an eye out for another architectural treasure hunt this fall!

    PHW’s 47th Annual Meeting

    As we near the end of May – and with it National Preservation Month – PHW is closing out the month with a culmination in fun activities related to historic preservation.

    First, have you completed your Architectural Treasure Hunt? You have until Friday, June 3 at 5 PM to drop your forms at PHW, either by email, snail-mail, or in person. Click here for the contest form (pdf). Reports from contest entrants are that you should allow yourself about three hours to stroll downtown looking at the buildings – and it’s fun!

    Then, on June 5 at 3 PM is the Annual Business Meeting at the Hexagon House. PHW will be electing seven new board members, reviewing the past year, and presenting our yearly preservation awards. We are planning to hold the business meeting on the back lawn, so dress for the weather. (In case of rain, we will move indoors.)

    Following the business portion of the meeting, you have two options for further entertainment. The outdoor option is the Italianate walking tour of Winchester, which will be previewed for the first time. At approximately 4 PM, tour groups will depart from the Hexagon House. Tour time is expected to last from one to one and a half hours and is approximately one mile in length. The suggested donation for the tour is $5 per person. It is open to the public. Click here for the walking tour post.

    Indoors at the Hexagon House, PHW will host a light reception. For those unable to attend the full walking tour, there will be a display of the Winchester Italianate architecture on the walking tour. Look for the lime green papers around the Hexagon House for a self-guided tour of the building while you socialize indoors.

    The Italianate Trend in Winchester

    A Guided Walking Tour
    June 5, 4 PM at the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst St.

    Join Ashlee Anderson, student intern for Preservation of Historic Winchester, on a guided walking tour of Old Town Winchester highlighting Italianate structures for her capstone project.

    minihexhouse The Italianate style is one of the best-represented architectural styles in Winchester, and this tour will show you the grand mansions, commercial properties, and modest homes, spanning high-end expressions to vernacular representations.

    The tour will start following Preservation of Historic Winchester’s Annual Business Meeting at 3 PM. Expected departure time is 4 PM for the walking tour. Meet at the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst Street, Winchester. The tour is expected to last one to one and a half hours.

    Suggested donation is $5 per person. Proceeds benefit Preservation of Historic Winchester.

    For more information, contact Preservation of Historic Winchester at (540) 667-3577 or phwi@verizon.net

    Guided Civil War Tours

    Guided Civil War Walking Tours are now available on a regular basis, June through October, in Historic Old Town Winchester and the Historic Frederick County communities of Stephens City and Middletown. New this year is a guided walking tour of Kernstown Battlefield and a guided driving tour of Cedar Creek Battlefield.

    The tours are a project of the Winchester-Frederick County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, and are coordinated by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

    “This is a great way for individuals, families, and groups to explore the culture and history of our area,” said Sally Coates, Executive Director of the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

    “Also to be considered is the fact that walking is a wonderful low-impact form of exercise,” she added. “The walking tours are fun, informative, and healthy.”

    Most of the tours are designed to last about one hour.

    Each experienced tour guide helps participants understand the Civil War from the civilian’s prospective. Featured are stirring stories of the townspeople, their homes and businesses.
    Continue reading Guided Civil War Tours

    Fort Loudoun Day & Rouss Day, May 21

    As a reminder, Fort Loudoun Day and Rouss Day will be held Saturday, May 21, rain or shine.

    Tours start at Fort Loudoun, 419 N. Loudoun St., at 10 am to 1 pm, with a ceremony at 12:30 pm. Visit frenchandindianwarfoundation.org for a complete schedule.

    In the afternoon, partake of the Rouss Day events. Click here for the full event schedule. PHW will have a refreshment table at Rouss Fire Hall, 3 S. Braddock Street for the re-dedication event at 2-3 pm.

    Also look for the following Old Jake items for sale at Rouss Fire Hall at a table manned by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley:

    OldJakePin Boxed Jake Cookie Cutter $5
    Old Jake Lapel/Hat Pin $8
    Old Jake Weathervane Ornament $24
    Postcard .95
    Old Jake Boxed Notecards $12
    Green Ball Ornament $12

    Click here to read the Rouss Day coverage by the Winchester Star (login required).

    Taylor Hotel Financing Under Review

    Vic Bradshaw, reporting for the Winchester Star, updated the status of the partnership between the City and Wishneff Group for the rehabilitation of the Taylor Hotel.

    [Jim] Deskins said the application [for an advance on anticipated grant money from Housing and Urban Development] was revised numerous times to give it the best chance for approval. If it is turned down or if the Wishneff Group is unable to obtain historic tax credits for the work, the project will not be undertaken and the city government likely will tear down the building.

    The application, he said, focuses on the public facilities to be created – the farmers market and performance area. It also pledges that at least 51 percent of the jobs in the space resulting from the project will go to low- to moderate-income residents.

    According to sources, the HUD application should be processed in 90 days, with the historic tax credit application taking about the same time to review.

    Find out more about Section 108 Community Development Block Grants from HUD at www.hud.gov.

    Learn more about historic tax credits at www.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/.

    Click here to read the full story (login required).