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Happy 175th, Winchester! It’s our pleasure as Winchester’s newest media outlet to celebrate our community as its birthday comes around.
As many of you may know, Winchester News was born out of the Communications Study Committee, which was formed by the town in order to find out how it could better communicate with residents.
The committee found that in addition to some needed improvements in its own communication, the town needed a local news source. The Winchester Star had been bought out by Gannett Media and then merged with the Arlington Advocate in 2022 to create The Advocate and Star.
The problem? The paper rarely had coverage of either town and when it did, it was not comprehensive. Winchester was slowly turning into a news desert.
So, in 2023, a group of local residents got together and Winchester News was born.
The mission of Winchester News is to be a trusted and reliable source of local news. Our vision is to fill that information gap left by the loss of the Winchester Star and to increase civic participation and improve civil discourse.
Almost two years later, we are still working on making that mission and that vision a reality. There are always bumps in the road, but I believe we have made some excellent progress.
Due to that progress, and the support of our community, we are able to present a special print edition to all residents in honor of Winchester’s 175th Birthday. It showcases the people, landmarks and events that have formed out community.
Winchester News would like to thank Electra Govoni and Hilda Wong-Doo from the Winchester Historic Society, Winchester Town Archivist Ellen Knight, architectural historian Maureen Meister, restoration expert Nancy Schrock and historian Vincent Dixon for their expertise, advice and support in putting together our special edition.
We would also like to thank all of our sponsors.
We hope the special edition that all residents in Winchester received in their mailbox will be both informative and a keepsake. Enjoy!
For more Winchester history, visit Winchester History Online (with the link https://www.winchester.us/480/Winchester-History-Online).
P.S. Don’t forget to check out WinchesterNews.org and subscribe to our free newsletter, which will arrive in your inbox every Thursday morning!
Tara Hughes, president, Winchester News Board of Directors
