Resources for the Study of Winchester's History (MA)

Winchester Public Library
The Public Library contains resources for the study of local history, including Winchester, and is a good place to start exploring Winchester's history.

Reference Collection on Winchester History and Current Town Reports and Documents
Located in the Reference Room (Near the Tiffany Window) this collection contains a number of documents, books, and pamphlets on local history together with current documents from the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee, Town Manager, and various Town departments and committees.

Winchester Public Library, Local History Room
Located on the second floor of the Library, this collection contains a broad range of documents and published materials on the history of Winchester, surrounding towns, and Massachusetts. A card index of the Winchester Star from 1881 to 1986 is housed here. Access to these materials can be arranged through the Reference Desk.

The Winchester Archival Center
The Winchester Archival Center, located in the lower level of Town Hall, is maintained by the town as a research center for historical collections of the town and the Winchester Historical Society. It is staffed by volunteers from the Winchester Historical Society. Its resources are much broader and deeper than those of the Winchester Public Library and should be consulted for any extensive research on Winchester

The Archival Center collects and preserves materials that document all aspects of Winchester history and the lives of its residents; assists research into Winchester history by facilitating public access to the information contained within the collection; provides historical information to other municipal departments and town officials; and collaborates with the Public Library, Town Clerk, the Winchester Historical Society, and Historical Commission in promoting community awareness and participation in documenting local history.

The collections include primary and secondary documents (manuscripts, typescripts, print materials, photographs, maps, research reports, artworks, misc. newspapers, published histories, oral histories) on such subjects as town government, schools, waterways, public events, biography and family history, architecture, military service, churches, clubs and organizations, industry and business, and more Other collections available include business and personal papers relating to the Whitney Machine Shop, the Vinson-Owen Collection (in conjunction with the National Skaters Hall of Fame), the Winchester Historical Commission's Inventory of Historic Buildings, Winchester Directories of Residents and Tax Lists, genealogical source materials and town public records prior to 1900. The Winchester Archival Center is located in Town Hall.

Selected Official Town Documents
Documents listed here are available in the Public Library and the specific location within the library is provided: Local History, Reference, Adult (the circulating collection), Children's.

The Winchester Archival Center in Town Hall contains these documents as well and many more official town documents and historical resources.

Blue book and house guide of Winchester: containing lists of the residents, societies, churches, etc., street directory and map of Winchester. Title and content varies. 1895, 1905, 1912, 1914, 1816, 1918, 1919, 1922, 1924. The Winchester Archival Center has more complete holdings of Blue Books and other people and business directories.

List of Residents over Twenty Years of Age. 1925-1970. Published by the Board of Registrars.
Lists residents 20 and older, organized by precinct and within precinct by street and alphabetically by name.

List of Residents Seventeen Years of Age and Older. 1971-present. Published by the Board of Registrars.
Lists residents 17 and older, organized by precinct and within precinct by street and alphabetically by name.

Available: WPL, Local History, Reference. Current year on sale at the Office of the Town Clerk, Town Hall in print or on a CD in Excel format, $15.00

Woburn records of births, deaths, marriages, and marriage intentions, from 1640 to 1900. Alphabetically and chronologically arranged by Edward F. Johnson.
Woburn, Mass.: Andrews, Cutler, & Co., 1890-1919. 10 v.

Annual report of the Town of Winchester, 1850—present.
Available: WPL, Local History

Lainhart, Ann S. 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts state censuses for Winchester.
Boston: [Ann S. Lainhart, 1989]. 105p. For other census materials consult HeritageQuest or Ancestry® Library Edition

Winchester Historical Commission. Survey of pre-1917 buildings. 1979. 12 volumes.
Documents more than 2,000 houses and buildings standing in 1979 through photographs and data sheets completed in the field. Researchers recorded ownership history, construction dates, architectural style, architect or builder when known, and historical or architectural significance where applicable.

Zoning By-Law of the Town of Winchester, Massachusetts. A Zoning by-law adopted by the Town October 29, 1973, approved by the Attorney General, and which became effective on June 28, 1974. Included all amendments up to June 4, 2007. 100p., 6 maps, appendices.

Plat maps. A map representing a piece of land subdivided into lots with streets, boundaries, easements, property dimensions and placement, and parcel ID. Property ownership is usually recorded on the plat maps and made part of the public record. The Board of Assessors has the responsibility to maintain the plat maps of the Town.

Available: WPL: Reference Room, data up to 1999. Assessor's Office, Current data.

Assessors Current Property Database (Online)
The Board of Assessors contracts with Patriot Properties, Inc to provide an online comprehensive current property listing service as a public service to the Town. Properties can be searched by street name, owner name, or parcel ID. Updated annually with current values and assessments.
Current records and plat maps are in the Assessors' office in Town Hall. For real estate transactions and deeds see also the Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds described in the next entry.

Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds. 208 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Middlesex South Registry of Deeds is the recording office for documents affecting title to real estate located in the southern district of Middlesex County. Documents that are in compliance with Massachusetts law are accepted for recording at the Registry and become permanent public records. The recording of documents, such as deeds and mortgages, allows the public, including prospective purchasers of real estate, a method to determine the status of the title to that property.

The South Middlesex Registry District includes the following cities and towns: Acton, Arlington, Ashby, Ashland, Ayer, Bedford, Belmont, Boxborough, Burlington, Cambridge, Concord, Everett, Framingham, Groton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Malden, Marlborough, Maynard, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Newton, North Reading, Pepperell, Reading, Sherborn, Shirley, Somerville, Stoneham, Stow, Sudbury, Townsend, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Wayland, Weston, Winchester, Woburn

Available: Search Online, Index 1974 to present, Images of Documents, 1986 to present.

Building Department:
The primary function of the Building Department is to assist the general public and to ensure their health and safety, enforcement of the State building code and the Town's zoning by law, as well as plumbing, gas, electrical, housing, sign, and other codes and by-laws pertaining to properties and structures.

This department maintains records, organized by street, that record construction, demolition, and work permits. Permits often identify architects for new construction and additions. For more information consult the Building Department on the Town's web site.

Engineering Department.
The Engineering Department maintains plans of subdivisions, street layouts, and utility hookups. These are often labeled with additional information, especially helpful for documenting the architectural history of the town. The department also maintains a card file that records water hook-up dates, often the best way to date a building and to identify the original owner. The department can also provide copies upon request for a small fee.

Office of the Town Clerk
A primary provider of information and services to the community, the Town Clerk serves as chief election official, official recording officer, public records officer, licensing official, clerk of Town Meeting, Town Hall records administrator, registrar of vital statistics, and registrar of voters. The Town Clerk maintains records of amendments to the Code of By-Laws, Zoning By-Laws, and the Home Rule Charter. For information on obtaining vital records of marriages, births, and deaths consult the Town Clerk's web site.

The current List of Residents Seventeen Years of Age and Older can be purchased at the Office of the Town Clerk in Town Hall. In print or on a CD in Excel format, $15.00.

Winchester Home Rule Charter. [Winchester, Mass.: Town of Winchester], 1982. 49p.
"Originally adopted by the Voters of the Town of Winchester at the Town Election March 3, 1975; reprinted with the language of all amendments inserted."

Code of By Laws Enacted at Town Meeting March 4, 1976, reprinted with the language of all amendments through 2006 Spring Town Meeting, September 2006

Public Library:
The earliest known hand drawn original map of Winchester Center is on display on the wall outside the Local History Room (2d floor), this large, original map (47" x 75" are on display) was restored by the Winchester Historical Society in 2003. The map dates from the 1870s and depicts downtown Winchester and the location of houses and buildings extant at the time.

1875. Winchester from F.W. Beers, County Atlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 1875.
Size 17" x 11".

1886. Map of Winchester, Middlesex County. Bird's eye view of Winchester showing churches, schools, Published by A.F. Poole Co., Brockton, MA. 28 ½" x 22" (Print), 26" x 19 ¼" (Image).

1898. Map of Winchester, Massachusetts. Published by Robbins & Enrich, 1898. 29 ½" x 19 ¼" (Print), 26" x 17" (Image).

1941/1964. The Town of Winchester drawn in 1941 and brought up to date in 1964 by Ernest Dudley Chase. Distributed with the compliments of Winchester Savings Bank. Street map of Winchester depicting railroad, schools, churches, factories, town buildings, businesses, lakes, rivers, hospital and historic houses. Alphabetical listing of streets. 33 vignette sketches of Winchester landmarks.
25" x 19" (Print), 22 ¾" x 17" (Image).

These maps have been reproduced by the Winchester Historical Society and are available for purchase at Winchester Art & Frame (755 Main Street) or through the Society's web site.

Mystic River Greenways. Published by the Mystic River Watershed Association, with assistance from the National Park Service, Rivers & Trails Program, [2005?]. This map illustrates the community greenways and trails of the Mystic River watershed, an area of 76 square miles. 17 x 15 ¾.

The Winchester Archival Center has a collection of maps, atlases, and Sanborn fire insurance maps. An index of the cataloged maps can be consulted at the Reference Desk in the Library (PastPerfect database).

United States Geological Survey, Topographic Maps.
The United States Geological Survey began its topographic atlas of the United States in 1882. The University of New Hampshire's Library's Government Information Department holds a working collection of over 55,000 paper USGS maps. This online collection of over 1500 USGS topographic maps includes complete geographical coverage of New England and New York from the 1890s to 1950s

Newspapers on microfilm
Daily Times Chronicle. Woburn, MA.: Woburn Daily Times, 1971- present. Winchester edition
Winchester Star, 1881-present. Note: The Local History room has a card index to the Winchester Star covering the period 1881-1986.
Winchester Press, October 1900-December 1902
Woburn and Middlesex Journal, October 1851-November 1906.

Available: WPL, Reference.

Newspapers online
Winchester Star, online 9/08/05 to the present.

Available: Through Newsbank in the Library and online from the Library website. Winchester resident library card is required for access.

Obituaries can be found in the card index to the Winchester Star from 1881 to 1986 located in the Local History Room. An electronic database of obituaries published in the Winchester Star from 1985-2000 can be consulted at the Reference Desk.

Photographs of Winchester
The originals of all images are in the Winchester Archival Center at Town Hall.
Winchester Then and Now
Created by Peter G. Engeldrum in 2002, the goal of the "Winchester Then and Now" project is to show the changes in the Winchester landscape through photography.

The Winchester Archival Center houses the largest collection of historical images of people and places in Winchester, collected over the years by the Winchester Historical Society. Photographs and postcards are arranged by collection and divided by location or subject. Postcards from the John Cleary Collection have been photographed to expand the photographic historical record. A copy of the image database can be consulted at the Reference Desk in the Library.

Photographs can also be found in many of the books and pamphlets listed in the bibliographies

July 4th, 1890: 250th anniversary of the first white settlement within the territory of Winchester: Charlestown, 1633, Waterfield 1638, Charlestown Village, 1640, Woburn, 1642, Winchester 1850. [Boston: Barta Press, 1890]. 32p.

Available: WPL, Local History, Reference 974.4 Winches
Online at Heritage Quest Online. In the Library or from home. (Winchester resident library card required) (Click on Books, then Places, Use the Keyword search and enter LH7442 to go directly)

Allison, Mildred. A Children's History of Winchester, Massachusetts. Based on Chapman's The History of Winchester. Revised and updated by Ellen Knight. Winchester, MA. Winchester Historical Society, 2004. 44p. Designed to be used to teach a unit on Winchester history at the third grade level. This basic history of Winchester includes many historic photos, maps, drawings and even an explanation of the town seal.

Available: WPL: Adult, Children's, Reference, 974.44 Allison.
(In print) On Sale at BookEnds.

Chapman, Henry Smith. A History of Winchester. 2vols. Winchester, MA.: Town of Winchester, 1975.
Volume 1, 0riginally published in 1936 and reprinted in 1975 covers Winchester's history up to the early 20th century. Volume 2, by Bruce Winchester Stone continues Winchester's history up to the early 1960's.

Available: WPL, Local History, Reference. (In Print) On Sale at the Winchester Public Library and BookEnds.

Volume 1 is online at Heritage Quest Online (Click Books, then Places, Use the Keyword search and enter LH8771 to go directly to the volume).

Available: WPL in the library or from home. (Winchester resident library card required).

Clarke, Mary Stetson. The Old Middlesex Canal. Melrose, MA.: The Hilltop Press, 1974. 191p.

Converse, Parker Lindall, 1822-1899. 1642-1892: legends of Woburn, now first written and preserved in collected form to which is added a chrono-indexical history of Woburn. Woburn, Mass., Printed for subscribers only, 1892-96. 2v.
NOTE Title of v. 2: 1642-1892. Legends of Woburn, 2d series now first written and preserved in collected form from old traditions, legends and history to which is added a table of local weather indications.

Jones, Rupert F. A short history of the Winchester Public Library. [1959?]. [19p.]

Kellaway, Herbert J. Report upon the improvement of the waterways in Winchester, Massachusetts and related matters from the Mill Pond along the Aberjona River to the town line also along Horn Pond Brook and Wedge Pond. Boston, MA.: Herbert J. Kellaway, 1928. 88p.
Note: Contains many interesting photographs on ponds and waterways.

Knight, Ellen. Artists of Winchester, 1850-1950. Winchester, MA.: Winchester Historical Society, 2004.This illustrated history of the artists who lived and practiced in Winchester contains information about the town's artists and presents them in an attractive booklet that focuses on their career and activities in town. Included are nationally known landscape painter J. Foxcroft Cole and etcher W.H.W. Bicknell. Locally Edward Brackett was as famous for his octagon house as his sculpture, and Ernest Dudley Chase's sketches of Winchester appeared on town calendars for many years. Women such as Adelaide Cole Chase, Eva Cowdery, and Annie Nowell were prominent for their portrait and still life paintings. What emerges is a picture of Winchester as a center of artistic activity, a place that valued its beautiful landscapes and promoted its culture.

Available: WPL, Adult, Local History, Reference, 709.2 Knight.
(In Print) On sale at BookEnds.

Knight, Ellen. Winchester High School, Winchester Junior High School, McCall Junior High School, Lincoln Elementary School : a centennial history 1904-2004.Winchester, Mass. 2003. [20] p.
Produced in association with the Winchester Historical Society and Lincoln School 100 Year Committee's Lincoln School Centennial Celebration"

Knight, Ellen. Winchester Public Library: an illustrated history.2006. 27 p.

Kromer, W. Todd. History of the Winchester Fire Department: a collection of vintage memorabilia.
Boston, Mass.: Boston Publishing Co., c1975. 70 p.

Larrabee, Gary S. Winchester Country Club, 1902-2002. Gary Larrabee.
Beverly, Mass.: Memoirs Unlimited, c2002. 276 p.

Remember when. [Winchester, Mass., 19--]. 84 p Clippings from column "Remember when" in Winchester Star weekly newspaper. Column published from 1960-1962, covering material ca. 1902-1940.

Seaburg, Carl. The Incredible ditch: a bicentennial of the Middlesex Canal. Cambridge, MA.: Ann Miniver Press for the Medford Historical Society, 1997. 138p.

Sewall, Samuel, 1785-1868. The history of Woburn, Middlesex County, Mass. from the grant of its territory to Charlestown, in 1640, to the year 1860. Boston : Wiggin and Lunt, 1868. 657p.

Sileo, Thomas P. The great spirit of Horn Pond: its history, traditions, and natural beauty.
Chelmsford, MA.: Shagbark Publishing Co., c1996. 170p.

Simonds, Henry E. Winchester Then and Now. Woburn, MA.: Woburn Daily times and Chronicle, 1982.

VerPlanck, Burt. Middlesex canal guide and maps. Billerica, Mass.: Middlesex Canal Association, 1996. Atlas and maps. Middlesex Canal, a 27 mile canal running from Charlestown to the Merrimack River in Lowell, through Charlestown, Somerville, Medford, Winchester, Woburn, Wilmington, Billerica, Chelmsford and Lowell. In operation from 1803 to 1853, the canal had 20 locks and 8 aqueducts.

Washburn, Robert M. History of the town of Winchester, Massachusetts Fire Department, as edited by Robert M. Washburn. [Mass.]: The Editor, 1996. 103 p.

Wilson, Theodore P. Pictorial History of Winchester. Theo P. Wilson, 1914. Contains pictures of early residents, views of houses, ministers, town officers, fire department, some leading citizens etc Includes a list of names.

Wilson, Theodore P. Winchester, fifty years a town, published to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the town of Winchester, Massachusetts. [Winchester, Mass.] : The Winchester Star, [1900]. 80p.

Winchester the Beautiful. [Winchester Mass.: Winchester National Bank, 194- .] 22 p. "This booklet issued with the compliments of The Winchester National Bank, Winchester, Massachusetts"

Winchester, Members of the Winchester High School Class of 1945 including Frank H. Sleeper
Dover, N.H.: Arcadia, 1995. 127p. (Images of America). A pictorial reminiscence of their experiences in Winchester by the High School class of 1945. "This book does not claim to be a complete photographic history of Winchester, but it certainly updates (to 1960) the last pictorial history of the town, published in 1914. It is a series of vignettes seen through the camera's eye."

Woburn (Mass.) Proceedings, October second to seventh, 1892, at the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Woburn, Massachusetts.
Woburn: Printed for the city: [The News Print], 1893. 233p.

The Architects of Winchester, Massachusetts (edited by Maureen Meister) The Winchester Historical Society has sponsored research on the Town's architecture resulting in the publication of eight monographs on Winchester architects and architecture.

Available: WPL, Reference. Complimentary to members of the Winchester Historical Society. On Sale through the Winchester Historical Society web site.

Herbert Dudley Hale, French Method, Health Laws, and Progressive Views on Education contribute to a New Winchester High School by James Owens Ross
Alexander Esty, A Romanesque Church Design: Image and Meaning by Nina Harkrader
Theodore Voelckers, A Picturesque Public Hall for a New Town by Roger G. Reed
Herbert J. Kellaway, Linking Water, Parks and Parkways in the Olmsted Tradition by Julie Khuen
Hill & James, Beaux Arts Splendor in a Suburban Setting by Roger G. Reed
Frost and Raymond, Suburbia and the Single-Family House of the 1920’s by Nancy Gruskin
John Kutts: Rare Drawings and Records for an 1830 House by Roger G. Reed
Robert Coit: Houses and Public Buildings in an Age of Suburban Growth by Ellen Spencer

Meister, Maureen. Architecture and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Boston: Harvard's H. Langford Warren. 2003. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 2003.
Introduction discusses Winchester's architecture. Also the book includes passages on F. Patterson Smith and George F. Newton, both influential figures in local architecture.

Meister, Maureen. George Rand's Winchester.
Articles collected here appeared as a series in the Winchester Star and were published between May 23 and October 10, 1991. [43] p.

Meister, Maureen. Patterson Smith's Winchester. 1994. 38p.
The series presented here is based on the research of Maureen Meister and Richard Joslin. The articles were published in the Winchester Star between May 12 and September 8, 1994.

Meister, Maureen. Rangeley: a romantic residential park in Winchester.
New York: Magazine Antiques, 1997. 10p.
Reprinted from "The Magazine Antiques", August 1997, p. 188-197.

Meister, Maureen. "Two Arts and Crafts Houses: Paradigms in Pasadena and Boston." [New York, N.Y.: Straight Enterprises, 2007. Originally appeared in The Magazine Antiques, September 2007, p. 112-119. This article compares the Chadwick House on Everett Avenue, Winchester, with the Gamble House in Pasadena. Many photos and a plan of the Chadwick house

Schuler, Gretchen G. A Plan to preserve Winchester's architectural heritage. [Written by: Gretchen G. Schuler with the assistance of Ellen Knight; Maureen Meister, consultant]. [Winchester, Mass.: Planning Board], 2004. 1v. "This Plan to preserve Winchester's architectural heritage has been prepared for the Winchester Planning Board and the Winchester Historical Commission acting as the Architectural Heritage Committee of the Strategic Plan Task Force.

Winchester Historical Commission. Town Register of Historic Places, 1995.
The Commission, 1995.

Winchester, Massachusetts, The Architectural Heritage of a Victorian Town. Winchester, MA.: Winchester Historical Society, 1988. [Text writer, Kevin Stevens]. This 170 page history of the town contains nearly 200 illustrations, including maps, historical photographs, views of individual buildings, and a guide to researching the history of a house in Winchester.

ProQuest has partnered with MyFamily.com to create Ancestry® Library Edition, one of the most important genealogical collections available today. It has unparalleled coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas. This collection, with thousands of databases and billions of names, is essential to having a broad genealogy collection, and its valuable content is a strong complement to HeritageQuest™ Online.

The Ancestry Library Edition collection has approximately 4,000 databases including key collections such as U.S. Federal Census images and indexes from 1790 to 1930; the Map Center containing more than 1,000 historical maps; American Genealogical Biographical Index (over 200 volumes); Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage (over 150 volumes); The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1630; Social Security Death Index (updated monthly); WWI Draft Registration Cards; Federal Slave Narratives; and a strong Civil War collection. Ancestry Library Edition updates continually, with more indexes and original images added all the time.

Heritage Quest
HeritageQuest Online™ combines digital, searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content. This online database is an essential collection of unique material for both genealogical and historical researchers, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Researchers can use HeritageQuest Online to find their ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.

HeritageQuest Online includes all of the images, and extensive indexing, from the 1790 - 1930 U.S. federal censuses. It offers more than 20,000 book titles, including nearly 8,000 family histories and over 12,000 local histories. Additionally, there are more than 250 primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, probate records, and more.

Many other distinctive and invaluable sources of information can be found within HeritageQuest Online. These include Periodical Source Index (PERSI), a widely recognized resource guide, updated annually, that covers more than 6,300 genealogy and history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800. There are other valuable collections such as the Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, which identifies more than 80,000 American military, naval, and marine officers and enlisted men. The forthcoming Freedman’s Bank Records is a database that documents more than 70,000 bank depositors and their dependants and heirs. The Freedman’s Bank Records is considered one of the most important resources for African-American genealogical research. All of these resources are fully searchable through HeritageQuest Online’s easy-to-use Web interface. Remote access is Available. Source: Proquest.

Available: The Winchester Public Library, online within the library or from home.
(Winchester resident library card required)

Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence explained: citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace.
Baltimore, MD.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2007. 881p.
Note: Evidence Explained guides you through a maze of sources not covered by other citation manuals—all kinds of original records, accessed through different media. A thousand citation models for U.S. and international documents demonstrate how to handle the quirks that stump us when we use those materials. Evidence Explained is the go-to guide for everyone who explores the past." Organized as follows: Fundamentals of Evidence Analysis, Fundamentals of Citation, Archives & Artifacts, Business & Institutional Records, Cemetery Records, Census Records, Church Records, Local & State Records: Courts and Governance, Local & State Records: Licenses, Registrations, Rolls & Vital Records, Local & State Records: Property & Probates; National Government Records, Publications: Books, CDs Maps, Leaflets & Videos, Publications: Legal Works & Government Documents, Publications: Periodicals, Broadcasts & Web Miscellanea.

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