Category: Informational Events

We had hoped to produce our first Vanished Winchester location post today, but on further review we’d like a bit more time to fact check and polish our work. Look for our first Vanished Winchester entry next week to start March off right!

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The National Trust for Historic Places is accepting nominations for the Backing Historic Small Restaurant Grant Program. In addition to applications by restaurant owners, the public can also nominate a place you love that contributes to your neighborhood’s unique identity for a $40,000 grant. Applications are due March 12; visit their website for more details.

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The City of Winchester invites you to register for this Saturday’s stormwater workshop. If you’d like to learn more about the City’s stormwater system and new utility fees, related infrastructure projects, and potential credits you can earn to offset your property’s fees, register for this new in-person workshop Saturday, February 25th, 10 am-12 pm at Rouss City Hall (main floor), 15 N. Cameron Street. Advanced registration is required. The workshop will not be recorded.

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Handley Library has two events tomorrow that may be of interest to our readers. On the Lower Level of the Handley Library is a pop-up book sale, 10 am-2 pm. Browse a selection of gently used books and DVDs and bring a bag or box to carry your treasures. All proceeds benefit the three branches of HRLS and staff.

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Also taking place at the Handley Library at the Archives, 10:30am – 12:00pm, is Applying to Lineage Societies: Get Help with Your Application and Research. Have you ever wanted to apply to a lineage society such as the Daughters of the American Revolution? Do you have an application but aren’t sure if you have all the proofs you need? Katherine Collins, MLISc, can help you with your questions, review applications, and assist with genealogical research issues. If you can’t make this month’s event, Katherine will be available every fourth Saturday of the month in the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives reading room from now through October (no meetings in November or December). Registration not required.

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If your afternoon or evening needs an activity, you may be interested in watching one of the debut performances of Ruth’s Tea Room. Old Town Winchester in partnership with Selah Theatre Project and Bright Box presents the premiere of this new original play by local playwright and director LaTasha Do’zia. With performances at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, there are two chances to see this exciting FREE debut of what is sure to become an enduring Winchester classic.

SYNOPSIS: A prodigal daughter, Azi Wells, of a small town returns home to say goodbye to the only place that allowed her to be free. As she walks into Ruth’s Tea Room, she meets other townsfolk that have come to say farewell and share their stories of their days spent in this welcoming space. Each story shares the ups and downs of Ruth’s and the effects it had on a community and its people.

Based on a real historic location in Winchester, this dramatization brings life to one truth…There was room for everyone and anyone at Ruth’s.

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It may seem to early to think about Christmas, but we’re reviewing Bough & Dough Shop needs now. If you’re interested in getting on our advance email list for artists and vendors, drop us a note at phwinc.org@gmail.com so we can keep you in the loop.

This Saturday is the 10th annual Chocolate Escape in Old Town Winchester! Visit over twenty different locations February 4 from 2-5 PM for specials, discounts, sales, and restaurant specials for only $5. Follow the red heart-shaped balloons or visit the Old Town website for more details and a map to participating locations.

The MSV will host a free panel discussion “Contemporary Contributions” 3–4 PM this Sunday, February 5, highlighting several Black-owned businesses in Winchester. Panelists include Terry Carter, T-Bone’s Bar & Grill; LaTasha Do’zia, Selah Theatre Project, Inc.; James Frisby, FASST Sports Performance Training; historian Judy Humbert and moderator Carl Rush, chief equity officer for Loudoun County. Participants will discuss their challenges, inspirations, and successes. Preregistration is encouraged at https://bit.ly/3HEDcC2.

Belle Grove Plantation and the Winchester Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America are beginning a new community stitching project to honor the 270 people who were enslaved at Belle Grove—a quilt with each person’s name and birth date stitched onto it. Their first free public workshop will be Saturday, February 11, 1-3 PM at Bowman Library in Stephens City. Participants are asked to preregister with Irina Galunina at winchesterchapterega@gmail.com by February 5. Other stitching activities will be taking place at Bowman Library for Stitch in Public Day starting at 11 AM.

The Old Town Community Session on February 16th, Understanding and Enforcing New Walking Mall Codes, is open to residents and downtown businesses. Hear directly from City staff across multiple departments to better understand the newly adopted changes to City Code, how and when to report infractions, and what to expect from police. Event begins at 9 AM in the Zuckerman Board Room of Rouss City Hall in Winchester.

The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has opened its first Hungry for History Marker Grant Program. This program is designed to commemorate significant food dishes created prior to 1970 and the role they played in defining American culture and forging community identity. The grant is available to 501(c)(3) organizations, nonprofit academic institutions, and local, state and federal government entities within the United States. Letters of Intent are due March 13. Visit their website for full details.

Nominations are now open for the 2023 List of Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Places through Preservation Virginia. Each May as part of National Historic Preservation Month, Preservation Virginia works with community advocates to release a list of threatened historic sites in an effort to raise awareness and boost public support for their preservation, and encourage individuals, organizations, and governmental entities to advocate for and find collaborative solutions for preserving these places important to Virginia’s communities. Nominations can be made on their website. If you need assistance or have questions, contact Sonja Ingram, Assistant Director for Preservation Field Services, at singram@preservationvirginia.org.

Thanks to a generous donor, the Flickr Pro account has been extended for one year. This should allow us time to add the images to our local hosting and make sure we have the captions matched up; however, it is likely we will not add our event photos back at least for the foreseeable future. We still highly recommend you save local copies of any images on Flickr you may be using for upcoming architectural research, as we are decreasing the image size for our online copies to reduce storage space. Full resolution copies are still available and can be emailed upon request.

This means the image captions are continuing on our social media accounts. To make sure we get the images correctly captioned, we’ll be doing the uploads and captions in small batches. We’re in this process for the long haul – hopefully the third time of moving our images and captions around online will be the last!

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The work in the back yard at the Hexagon House is mostly complete, or at least the very intense portion of it. This work is part of the collaboration PHW and the MSV undertook in memory of Dr. Jim Laidlaw. He was a supporter of both our organizations, and now we have a permanent improvement to enjoy our back yard at the Hexagon House. We’re looking forward to seeing how things shape up this spring. Who knows, we might even be doing a lot of our office work in this space during the warm months….

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Speaking of events that take place in the rear yard at the Hexagon House, we wanted to put the feelers out now for greenery donations for the Bough & Dough Shop early. If you are unaware of how we obtain fresh greens for holiday decorating, they are almost all provided by volunteers. If you have evergreens that are commonly used for holiday decorating, consider waiting on giving them a trim until the week of Thanksgiving and donating your cuttings to PHW. Alternatively, you may pass your contact information on to the PHW office if you are comfortable with volunteers cutting the greens on your property.

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Looking for something to do this weekend? The Handley Library is hosting two events tomorrow that may pique your interest. First, “Heraldry and Coats of Arms: Finding your Armorial Ancestor” by Katherine Collins, MLISc, from 10:30 AM-12:30 PM in the Benham Gallery Room will explain what armorial and gateway ancestors are, standards of evidence, best practices, and where to register historical arms. She will demonstrate how to use traditional books in our local libraries and archives, online databases, and the records of lineage societies to prove the connection to a documented armorial ancestor or “gateway ancestor.” Register now!

The presentation “The Impact of the Civil War on Medicine” by Dr. Dianne Murphy from 1-2 PM in the Robinson Auditorium will focus on the medical environment at the beginning of the Civil War and three dramatic changes that occur during this period that were to change the care of war wounded. Presented in partnership with Winchester/Frederick County Historical Society. No registration is required for this event.

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Feeling more like staying in this weekend? You may want to check out these two resources online. The National Trust has compiled a webpage for State Historic Tax Credits – Virginia gets a top billing mention as one of the leaders in this arena for providing incentives to reuse our historic buildings. Check out the full report at savingplaces.org.

If you’re looking for a bit more of an interactive experience while reading, you may enjoy perusing the article This App Turns the World Into a Wikipedia Scavenger Hunt. The app looks like an interesting combination of Wikipedia data mixed with open source mapping. If you want to contribute, there’s even suggestions on how you can expand the image selections, or even add Wikipedia articles about an interesting place.

First, please pardon our mess! The back yard at the Hexagon House is receiving some TLC at the moment. The work is currently taking place adjacent to our entrance. We encourage questioners to contact us via email at phwinc.org@gmail.com and not to visit in person while the machinery is in the parking lot.

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The Handley Library branch tour will take you behind the scenes to all floors tomorrow, January 14, 11 AM. Come learn about the architecture and history of this iconic building. Walk on the famous glass floors and peer down the well built into the stage. Meet in the Lower Level. The tour is free and open to the public.

Can’t make the tour this weekend or want a specialized tour? You can visit their website for more information and to book a private tour for your group.

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The National Fund for Sacred Places is starting the 2023 grant process. Letters of Intent through the Foundant grant system will be accepted from any eligible congregation. Submit your letter of intent by February 24 for projects such as:

• Urgent repair needs that are integral to life safety.
• Projects that improve the usability or ADA accessibility of the property.
• Renovation projects that support important community outreach.

Learn more at www.fundforsacredplaces.org to see if your congregation’s project qualifies.

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Applications due February 1 for National Trust Preservation Fund grants. These grants encourage preservation at the local level by providing seed money for planning and education projects. Virginia is one of the states earmarked for this round of applications. Grants range up to $5,000. Learn more at the National Trust’s website.

While PHW prepares for Holiday House Tour and Bough & Dough Shop, we wanted to share a few other events by similar organizations that our readers might enjoy this weekend:

Winchester Little Theatre’s production of A Christmas Carol is opening today. While the show appears sold out, there is information on their website about seeing if last minute spots open. If you nabbed tickets, thank you for supporting one of PHW’s partner organizations, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy this holiday treat!

Belle Grove Plantation, another one of PHW’s advertising sponsors for the Holiday House Tour, is hosting Inalienable Rights: Free and Enslaved Blacks Crafting a Life in the Shenandoah Valley this weekend. They will be open free of charge and feature special programming on African American history with special guests from The Slave Dwelling Project and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Check the link for more details!

If you enjoy the arts and crafts at the Bough & Dough Shop, you may want to stop by the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley this weekend for the Virginia Gourd Show and Sale. The theme for the 2022 competition is “Gourdigami” in honor of the MSV exhibition ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN. Gourd artisans will be on site selling art and raw gourds for your own crafting purposes.

The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society is hosting Maps and Surveys of Winchester November 12 at 10:30 AM in Rouss City Hall. Presenter Tim Youmans will begin the program in council chambers. Afterward, participants are invited to visit the original 1832 Frederick County Clerk’s Office located in the Feltner Building. Judge David S. Whitacre will share reminisces of his grandfather’s and uncle’s tenures as Clerk of the Court. For more information, contact Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society Executive Director Cissy Shull at 540-662-6550.

We are hard at work behind the scenes getting all the final touches ready for Holiday House Tour and Bough & Dough Shop 2022, so excuse the abbreviated Friday post! First, we wanted to share the news about the Daughters of the American Revolution and William G. Pomeroy Foundation Historic Marker Program. From their news announcement:

The multiyear marker program, which has been named “Revolutionary America 1775-1783,” coincides with the celebrations leading up to and during the nation’s 250th anniversary, the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026. The DAR will receive funding from the Pomeroy Foundation for at least 250 historic markers for sites across the country beginning in 2022 through 2027. All DAR chapters nationwide are encouraged to submit a grant application upon the identification of a significant point of interest. Chapters interested in participating should email the DAR at RevolutionaryAmerica@dar.org to request information about applying for a marker grant.

Second, if you’re a fan of both horror movies and historic architecture, these breakdowns of iconic haunted house sets should come as no surprise. One element seems to be fairly consistent in our collective idea of what a haunted house ought to look like. (Hint: check out those roofs!) Watch Architect Break Down 5 Haunted Houses From Scary Films at Youtube.

Next week we should begin our coverage of Holiday House Tour and the Bough and Dough Shop in our blog. Keep an eye out here and on our other social media channels for links to house descriptions, ticket sale information, and other tidbits.

A follow-up to our question last week on the name for the Kent and Piccadilly streets area: a longtime resident of West Street says the area was known as “The East Side,” in reference to being on the east side of the railroad tracks. Did you call this area anything else, or have you seen reference to any other names for the area?

We have made a test layout of the House Tour program booklet this week; if you are considering a sponsorship, please note we have a half page sponsorship spot and possibly up to a full page sponsorship spot; we may need to add additional pages this year that could increase available ad spots as well. You can find the ad size and price sheet and the form to return to PHW. The deadline to turn in your ad for the program booklet is Friday, October 28. If you’re interested in supporting this event, please drop us a note a phwinc.org@gmail.com and we’ll get you the info you need.

Looking forward to November, we will be suspending our daily image caption project on social media to focus on the Holiday House Tour and Bough and Dough Shop. We captioned over 200 images in 2022 and helped unearth forgotten events and untold stories of locations, some of which even we had forgotten about at PHW. We’ll be back with more image exploration in January 2023!