Friday Photos: Washington Street

Washington StreetStep back in time with these images of North and South Washington Street from PHW’s slide collection. These images appear to date to approximately the same era as the 1976 survey images through the mid 1980s. The set includes a number of images of the Baker houses between Boscawen and Wolfe Streets, the Friends Meeting House when it was painted gray, and several homes along North Washington Street when they were covered in pebbledash.

View the full set on Flickr.

Save the Date for PHW’s 2013 Memberfest

Date: Friday, October 4, 2013
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Location: The Feltner Museum at 9 Court Square
Admission: FREE for PHW Members and Their Guests

Join Preservation of Historic Winchester in Old Town Winchester during the October First Friday celebrations. Meet and greet other PHW members. Information on PHW membership and upcoming activities will be available. Tour the Feltner Museum, enjoy light refreshments, and even try your hand at a Winchester trivia game to win some prizes. Bring a friend and introduce them to PHW, too!

For more information, contact PHW at phwi@verizon.net or (540) 667-3577.

Friday Photos: Valley Ave.

Montague Hall This week we visit buildings along Valley Avenue, including the rambling vernacular Queen Anne style home at the corner of Miller St., two bungalows, and several images of Montague Hall at the Jubal Early Dr. intersection before and after renovation. The images were pulled from PHW’s slide collection and appear to date from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.

View the full set on Flickr.

Reminder for Lunch and Learn Lecture on Sept. 17

PHW’s first “Lunch and Learn” lecture of the fall season, “How to Finance Your Historic Preservation Project” presented by Bill Buettin, is set for September 17, noon at the Lewis-Jones Knitting Mill. The lecture is open to the public, and you may bring your own lunch for a free option. If you’d like to reserve a lunch from Panera for the event, please remember to place your order no later than Monday at 11:30 AM. We hope we’ll see you there next Tuesday!

[Lunch reservations are now closed. Thank you!]

Become a Holiday House Tour Advertising Sponsor

PHW is now accepting advertisement sponsors for the 2013 Holiday House Tour program booklet. There are sponsorship levels for any size business. The suggested sponsorship levels are as follows:

  • Major Event Sponsor (includes ad for front/back cover space): $1000.00
  • Full Page Ad: $250.00
  • Half Page Ad: $150.00
  • Business Card Ad: $75.00

For questions or to see examples of past booklets, please contact Sandra Bosley at 540-667-3577 or phwi@verizon.net. Ready to sponsor? Download the sponsorship letter and form here and return to PHW at 530 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Student Paper on Downtown Redevelopment Added to PHW’s Digital Library

A student paper on planning and development in Winchester has been digitized for future researchers. The paper may be of interest to those researching the growth of Winchester and past planning ordinances, particularly from 1940-1970. It also provides artist renderings and alternative plans for the Loudoun Street Mall instead of the fully pedestrian mall that was eventually implemented.

If this sounds like it could help you in your research, please contact the PHW office. Like other student papers in PHW’s collection, researchers are encouraged to independently verify any sources cited in the report.

Friday Photos: John Handley High School

Handley High School Feeling nostalgic? Revisit Handley in these circa 1975 pictures pulled from PHW’s slide collection. The smokestack is visible in several images, as well as the Handley Bowl before the recent remodeling. But this may be one instance when nostalgia doesn’t disappoint – Handley High School’s exterior still looks much the same as it did more than thirty years ago. And that’s a fine thing, indeed.

View the full set of photos at Flickr.

French and Indian War Foundation Cell Phone Audio Tour on September 14

Join the French and Indian War Foundation for the launch of Winchester’s first cell phone audio tour interpreting the events at Fort Loudoun beginning in 1756. The free event kicks off on September 14 at 10 AM at Fort Loudoun, 419 N. Loudoun St. in Winchester when Mayor Liz Minor will unveil the sign, cut the wireless ribbon, and make the first call. Author Norman Baker will be present to sign his new book, “Braddock’s Road.”

The event will be held rain or shine. For questions or more information, call 540-539-6424 or visit www.FIWF.org.

Student Papers on the Kurtz Building Added to PHW’s Digital Library

Student papers on the Kurtz Building have been digitized to preserve the texts for future researchers. The papers were written in the spring of 1988 for a class with Prof. Warren Hofstra. The papers are predominantly oral history interviews and cover the following topics:

  • “An Overlook of the Construction of the Kurtz Building” (Interview with William Wine)
  • “Cartwright Funeral Home” (Interview with Bruce Cartwright)
  • “Interview with J. Thomas Boyd”
  • “Kurtz Building and Valley Agriculture” (Interview with Ben Ritter)
  • “Lucy Fitzhugh Kurtz” (Interview with Lorina Mae Faegans)
  • “Snapp Interview”
  • “Kurtz Building: Still of Use and Value to the Winchester Community” (Interview with Eleanor White)
  • “The Kurtz Building as a Museum” (Interview with Karen Clay)
  • “The Kurtz Building in Connection with the Business of the Community” (Interview with Ralph Snapp)
  • “The Kurtz’s Building” (Brief sketch of the building’s history)
  • “The Man Behind the Building” (Biographical sketch of Capt. George W. Kurtz)
  • “The Preservation of the Kurtz Building” (Interviews with Pat Zontine and Sonya Tolley)
  • “The Uses of the Kurtz Building During and After the Civil War”
  • “Walls Can’t Talk” (Interview with George Ritter)

Please contact the office if you would like to review this collection in your research – but please keep in mind these are uncorrected student papers. Researcher discretion and additional verification is recommended for these sources.

Friday Photos: Oktoberfest 1985

Oktoberfest 1985 For something a little different this holiday weekend, PHW invites you to look back at one of our Oktoberfest events. The event, a staple of PHW’s programming in the 1970s and 1980s, featured German food, music, dancing and raffles for a full evening of entertainment. This event in particular seems to have remained more fully ensconced in our collective memory than other years. The reason may have been due to the unusual location atop the Court Square Autopark on Cameron Street. PHW records indicate Oktoberfest was held at this location for two years, 1984 and 1985. Relive this event with some candid photos and promotional materials from Oktoberfest 1985. View the full set of images on Flickr.