Category: National Preservation Month

Coming Tonight: “Slow Train to Yesterday” Documentary Showing

The first of the two joint programs put together by PHW and the Friends of Handley Library in celebration of National Preservation Month is almost here. Tonight, May 13, we invite you to come to the auditorium at Handley Library, 100 West Piccadilly Street, for a screening of the award-winning WVPT documentary “Slow Train to Yesterday: Memories of the Railroad in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

The documentary includes residents and railroad employees who describe the important role the railroad had in their lives as it connected mountain communities to the Shenandoah Valley. The film will be preceded by an introduction by Mason Cooper, a Stephens City resident and member of the Winchester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

The event begins at 6:30 PM and is free and open to the public. The documentary running time is just under one hour.

Read more online at the Winchester Star in the article by Stephen Nielsen (login required).

Upcoming Events in May

CSX Train

The Friends of Handley Regional Library and Preservation of Historic Winchester are co-sponsoring a two-part program in honor of National Preservation Month 2015. National Preservation Month, established as May by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, encourages localities to see, save, and celebrate their important places with diverse activities. This year marks the second time the Friends and PHW have collaborated on a program for National Preservation Month, this year expanding the program to two days and including a kid-friendly component. Because of PHW’s involvement in the ongoing restoration of the Winchester Little Theatre’s freight station, these two free programs will celebrate the important railroad transportation in Winchester with stories and images evocative of this bygone era.

The two halves of the program are as follows:

Wednesday, May 13
Start time 6:30 P.M.
“Slow Train to Yesterday: Memories of the Railroad in the Blue Ridge Mountains” documentary showing with introduction by Mason Cooper, Winchester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The documentary running time is just under one hour.

Saturday, May 16
Start time 2:00 P.M.
“See! Save! Celebrate! Winchester’s Railroad History” lectures and slideshows by author and railroad historian Bob Cohen and Executive Assistant for Preservation of Historic Winchester Sandra Bosley.
The Saturday event includes a separate, concurrent children’s program suitable for grades 2-5 with hands-on activities, a model train, and “then and now” themed photographs of Winchester.

Both events will be held at the Auditorium of the Handley Library, 100 West Piccadilly Street, Winchester, Virginia. For more information or questions, please contact Barbara Dickinson, Executive Director of the Friends of Handley Regional Library, at (540) 662-9041 ext. 31 or friends@handleyregional.org.

If you would like additional printed postcards for this event for handouts, please stop by the PHW office and pick some up from the back door of the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst Street. They’re free!

May 16 is a busy day elsewhere around downtown, with Fort Loudoun Day at 419 North Loudoun Street from 10 A.M.-1 P.M. and Kidzfest all day on the Old Town Mall. We hope to see you at one (or more!) of these activities in May!

While you are having fun with all the warm weather activities, PHW is also soliciting preservation award nominations for local projects, people, and publications that have enhanced our community. While nominations are always open, to be considered for a 2015 award, please make sure you make your nominations no later than 5 P.M. on Monday, June 8 – the last time the PHW board will meet before the Annual Meeting on June 28th.

See! Save! Celebrate! Two Programs for National Preservation Month

National Preservation Month 2015 Mark your calendars! PHW and the Friends of the Handley Regional Library will present two free programs in May to celebrate National Preservation Month. In keeping with our recent collaboration with the Winchester Little Theatre for the restoration of their building, the programs will focus on railroads and supporting industries around Winchester.

Both events will be held at the Auditorium at Handley Regional Library, 100 W. Piccadilly Street, Winchester, VA. Contact (540) 662-9041 ext. 31 or friends@handleyregional.org for more information or directions.

May 13, 6:30 p.m.: “Slow Train to Yesterday: Memories of the Railroad in the Blue Ridge Mountains” Documentary
With an introduction by Mason Cooper of the Winchester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society

May 16, 2 p.m.: “Progress and Preservation: Images and History of Architecture and Industry Along Winchester’s Railroads”
Lecture by Sandra Bosley, Executive Assistant for Preservation of Historic Winchester
Includes concurrent children’s programing suitable for grades 2-5.

Historic Church Tour in Old Town This Saturday!

Church Tour, May 17

Preservation of Historic Winchester, Inc. is sponsoring a tour of local church buildings on May 17, 2014, highlighting four local churches in historic Old Town Winchester. The tour is part of PHW’s commemoration of National Preservation Month, held every May to celebrate the nation’s historic buildings and their preservation for future generations. PHW is highlighting churches specifically to raise awareness not only of their history and architecture, but also of the unique challenges of preserving places of worship.

The tours are free, family-friendly, and open to the general public. RSVPs of planned attendance are appreciated; contact PHW at 540-667-3577, phwi@verizon.net, or join the event on Facebook. Arrive for the tour of each location at the top of the hour. Travel between sites is “on your own.”

Tour Schedule:
1:00 – 1:45 p.m. Old Stone Church and Lutheran Wall, East Piccadilly St./East Lane intersection
2:00 – 2:45 p.m. Centenary Reformed UCC, 202 S. Cameron St.
3:00 – 3:45 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Loudoun St.
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 26 W. Boscawen St.

Apple Blossom Reminder

As usual, the PHW office will be closed on Friday for Apple Blossom. While you are out and about enjoying the Bloom in Winchester, remember to bring your cameras and look for some interesting architectural details to submit to our Uncovering Your Hidden Gems photo contest. The Old Town Midway and the parade routes pass through our historic district, so you’re sure to see something neat for the contest this weekend!

This vintage postcard, along with several other Apple Blossom-themed cards from the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, is for sale at CardCow.com.

Uncovering Your Hidden Gems

PHW Announces a Photo Contest to Celebrate National Preservation Month

Last year for National Preservation Month, Preservation of Historic Winchester (PHW) and the Old Town Development Board (OTDB) sponsored an architectural treasure hunt challenging you to find interesting architectural features in our historic district. This year, it’s your turn to wow us with your architectural finds and maybe win a little something, too!

Below are the core rules:

How to Play
1. Take a picture of an interesting architectural detail in your home or visible from a public right of way in Winchester or Frederick County. Anything is fair game — a mantel, staircase, lock set, a window, trim, or something else.
2. Give your photo a brief caption to describe what you found and where it is. No technical terminology required!
3. Fill out the contact information (name, address, telephone number, and optionally e-mail) and include it with your entry.
4. Send your complete entry (photo, caption, and contact information) to PHW at phwi@verizon.net or 530 Amherst St. Winchester, VA 22601.
5. The contest runs from May 1 to June 1, 2012.

How to Win
1. Every person who submits a photo with complete information will be entered into a random drawing for a chance at one of four prize bags from downtown Winchester businesses. (More prizes may be available.)
2. A panel of PHW judges will also pick a “PHW’s Choice” winner for an outstanding and eye-catching submission.
3. You may submit an unlimited number of entries, but your name will be entered just once for the random drawing.
4. Winners will be announced at the PHW Annual Meeting on June 10, 2012.

Legal information
1. This contest is open to the general public and all age categories. Minors, please have an adult help you with your submission!
2. PHW and OTDB employees, board members, and their immediate families are excluded from the prize drawings.
3. By submitting a complete entry to the contest, you consent to the use of your name and/or photograph in any educational materials, merchandise or publicity carried out or produced by PHW or OTDB without further notice or compensation. In turn, you still retain the rights to use and publish your photograph.

For any questions, please contact us at PHW, (540) 667-3577 or phwi@verizon.net. And remember: have fun!

Get Your Cameras Ready

PHW is putting the polishing touches on a National Preservation Month activity that will run from May 1 to June 1, 2012. You’ll need your camera and some ingenuity to participate this year.

Keep an eye out for the contest rules at the PHW blog and website, as well as our May edition of the PHW printed newsletter. We think you’re going to like it!

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.

Get Ready to Celebrate

While we are preparing for Apple Blossom in Winchester this weekend, the celebration of our traditions and town won’t end there. National Preservation Month is coming in May under the theme “Celebrating America’s Treasures.” With that in mind, PHW has teamed up with the Old Town Development Board to host an architectural treasure hunt downtown. Look for the official contest form in The Winchester Star every Friday in May, and in May’s edition of Old Town Compass.

Don’t forget about “This Place Matters,” either. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a map for you to add your special place and let the world see. Add yours and read about the other sites already posted here.

Stay tuned for more preservation-related activities coming in May, culminating with PHW’s Annual Meeting on June 5.