History of Winchester by Chapman and Stone Overview History of Winchester History Articles by Subject: Architectural Landmarks DPW Complex Wright-Locke Farm Winchester Hospital Fire Station Sanborn House Winchester Public Library Lincoln School (PDF) Town Hall Winchester Savings Bank Famous Residents Biography Project Entertainment Music Architecture Invention/Exploration Politics Art Literature Science Business Military Sports Historic Landscapes Aberjona River The Common Wildwood Cemetery Place Names Town Flag Town Name Town Seal
History of Winchester by Chapman and Stone
This two-volume set contains (vol. 1) the history of the town up to 1936, written by Henry Smith Chapman, and (vol. 2) the town's history from the end of World War I up to 1975. It is still in print and under copyright by the Town. Copies may be purchased from the Winchester Public Library or from Book Ends. Permission to reproduce the work or sections thereof must be obtained by writing to the Board of Selectmen. Town Flag
The Town flag, created for the 150th anniversary of Winchester's incorporation, bears the Town Seal on a white background. Town Seal
 The Seal of the Town of Winchester, was designed by Edmund Garrett and adopted in 1896. According to the gloss accompanying the artist's painting of the seal: "This device consists of a wreath of lilies and field daisies typifying respectively the water and the fields. The indigenous lily stands for the new world. The daisy, imported from England, marks its settlement by the Puritans. Within the wreath is the name Waterfield and the date of settlement 1638 also the name of Winchester and the date of its adoption 1850 and around the wreath the legend Seal of the Town of Winchester. The whole is encircled by a pearl and bead border." The inner circle is set against a blue background representing water. The outer circle is set against green, the color of the fields. The name Waterfield comes from the 1638 Charlestown Book of Possessions which recorded the allotments of land in this area to the colonists. "Waterfield" was a descriptive term designating the area which is now the Town center. Town Name
The Town of Winchester was named - not for Winchester, England - but for Lt. Col. William Parsons Winchester (1801-1850), a man who never set foot in the town. A merchant of Boston and commander of the First Corps of Cadets, Winchester was persuaded to lend his family's name to the new town in expectation of a monetary reward. Receiving the news that the town had been incorporated with his name, Col. Winchester set a gift of $3,000 but never visited the town. A planned visit was cancelled due to torrential rains. Subsequent plans for a visit were abandoned after Col. Winchester died suddenly of typhoid fever that same year. Click here for a fuller history. | 