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It may not be as exciting as celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next July, but Winchester’s historic community is looking forward to celebrating the town’s 175th birthday over the coming months.
“There’s more attention given to the round numbers than the fives,” said Winchester Historical Society President Electra Govoni. “And we’re definitely looking forward to the 250th as a big deal for our country. But we wanted to catch the attention of the town, what with everything else that’s going on.”
The Historical Society, along with the Winchester Archival Center, has been trying to rally support for the anniversary for the past 18 months.
“We started thinking about when we could do something,” Govoni said. “On Town Day, we normally do trolley tours and we looked at that as a good opportunity because so much is going on that day.
“We didn’t see a lot funding coming in so we looked to see what existing celebrations there were and what celebrations had lots of people,” she added. “Then we looked at our programing throughout the year in the context of [the 175th].”
What’s on tap?
During the 150th anniversary, the Historical Society gifted the town a sign next to Town Hall as well as a time capsule. The sign has since fallen into disrepair.
“It’s all moldy and honestly, it’s seen better days,” said Hilda Wong-Doo. “Folks have asked when we’re going to fix the sign and we thought this would be a good time to do it.”
The Cultural Council has supported the effort with some funding for the sign.
Wong-Doo said the aim is to have the sign fixed by the end of the year.
“Ideally, we’d love to have it replaced by Spirit Weekend,” she said.
But that’s not all the Historical Society is doing. Both Govoni and Wong-Doo said upcoming programs will give people the opportunity to come together and learn about Winchester’s history — with a twist.
Both said the programs are more intentional and purposeful in not only telling people about Winchester’s history, but providing a look at those folks who aren’t often featured.
“Our focus is to be more inclusive in our history,” Wong-Doo said. “We are trying to focus on who the people were that made up our community.”
Both said they are excited by the line up so far and look forward to not only the official April birthday, but the coming months.
“We’re a little own that’s next to Lexington,” Wong-Doo said, comparing the history of the two. “There’s not a lot here, but it’s good for people to get a sense of what is here and see the value in it.”
And become part of it, Govoni added.
“When you care about a place, understand its history and feel a part of it, it helps you make better decisions about your community,” she said. “You invest in the school system, your home is taken care of, your children are part of the community. It really breeds a happy, healthy community and when you have that, you have connection.”
