This morning (January 18), the Stewart Bell, Jr. Archives received a wonderful gift – an original Lord Fairfax Land Grant document! We would like to give a huge thank you to Mike Robinson, Winchester Tales, and everyone involved! This is an example of a community coming together to preserve a piece of its heritage.
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963
To us at the Stewart Bell, Jr. Archives, these are words to live by. We do not seek to manipulate the historical data entrusted to us, but rather to present an accurate picture of the people and events of our community. We members of the community are a multi-faceted bunch, each shaped by the past in ways unique to the individual; this is the legacy preserved in the archives.
How many of you have been patrons of the Handley Library long enough to remember a time before the Bowman Library branch existed? What are your memories of its building and its opening?
20 years ago, on November 4, 2000, the Winchester Hiram Lodge conducted a ceremony setting the cornerstone for the Bowman Library. The stone was taken from the Handley Library building during its 1999-2001 renovations, as a way of symbolizing the unity of the regional system.
A photographic portrait of Betty Taylor Dandridge, daughter of U. S. President Zachary Taylor, is on its way to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. for an exhibit on first ladies. The photograph was taken in 1860. “Miss Betty,” as she was known, served as the White House's official hostess during her father’s presidency and later settled in Winchester, Virginia with her second husband.
Constitution Week (September 17-23) is an annual celebration of Americans’ liberties, freedoms, and rights as outlined by the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787. This document established our government and laws in such a way as to build a philosophy of human rights and dignity into the structure of the government itself.
September 2 marked the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. On that day in 1945, known as V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day), the Japanese boarded the USS Missouri and signed formal surrender documents, finally bringing peace to a world that had seen far too much suffering. The American General MacArthur, serving as Master of Ceremonies, spoke these powerful words before the signing:
Today, milkweed plants are often cultivated by nature lovers seeking to attract monarch butterflies. But in World War II, these native wildflowers were sought out for an entirely different reason. Milkweed pods contain silky floss that is both waterproof and buoyant, making it ideal filler for the life preservers relied upon by American sailors and airmen.
The Handley Library first opened its doors in a formal ceremony 107 years ago on August 21, 1913. The invitation sent out for the event states that “the exercises will be held in the lecture hall of the Library at eight o’clock p.m. and immediately thereafter the reading rooms and books will be open to inspection.”
In August, we remember the Suffragette movement. Our display this month shows elements of the local fight for women’s right to vote. In particular, the display highlights Fannie Baker Dunlap, who registered for the vote on October 2, 1920 at 56 years of age, and Mary Elizabeth Pidgeon, a member of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia.
This month marks the 150th anniversary of the dedication of Winchester’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. Winchester’s original Catholic Church, known as “the old stone church,” was destroyed during the Civil War, leaving Winchester without a Catholic Church building from 1864 until 1870.
John Lewis was an amazing man; one of the key participants in the Civil Rights movement.
We mourn his death and look to his life for inspiration. If you would like to learn more about his life and accomplishments, the Handley Regional Library System has his graphic novels, the March trilogy, available at Handley and Bowman Libraries. There is also a signed set in the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives. He reached a new generation through these graphic novels.
The Reading Room of the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives is reopen to researchers. For the safety of staff and researchers, and to protect our collections, we have had to make some changes to our procedures. Researchers will now need to make appointments to do research in the Archives. Currently, researchers are limited to a one hour research appointment per day. Research appointment times are as follows:
Monday to Thursday: 10:15 AM to 11:15 AM, 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, 1:15 PM to 2:15 PM, 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM, 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM, 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
John Bruce (1793-1855) was a man who spent over twenty years of his life finding ways to make an impact on his community. He was born in Scotland, but emigrated to the United States and settled in Winchester. Some people make impacts through teaching and preaching, some through caring for people’s well-being, but others find that they are best suited to improving the community through other means, as John Bruce did by overseeing various constructions.
Memorial Day, a day to honor and mourn those who died serving in the Armed Forces, originated in the years following the Civil War, through it did not become a federal holiday until 1971. The Civil War caused more bloodshed than any other conflict in U.S. history, claiming the lives of about 500,000 soldiers. After the war, Americans began holding tributes to fallen soldiers every Spring. Memorial Day later expanded to honor those who lost their lives in other conflicts and wars.
Winchester has certainly been home to many remarkable people, including many women over the decades who owned and operated their own businesses. Several in particular stand out for the unique ways they showed strength in their careers as businesswomen.