History of Winchester in Films and Video
This page has video recordings and digital films of historical events and stories of the history of Winchester Massachusetts.
To view a film, just click on the arrow in the center of the frame. To see the film full screen, click on the far right little rectangle on the control bar at the bottom. Mouse over the bottom of the frame if the control bar is not visible.
The Great Wall of Winchester
From 1835 until 1956, the Boston & Lowell RR railroad grade crossing in Winchester Center was both dangerous and an impediment to traffic. The grade crossing was supposed to be abolished in 1835, so why did it take so long? For decades Winchester residents wanted it abolished. It took years of seemingly endless debates and a myriad of proposed plans before it was finally abolished in 1956, with the overpass and station construction. This film is the story of the decades long, often acrimonious process to get the grade crossing abolished.
The Great Wall of Winchester from Imcotek Digital Films on Vimeo.
The Colonel (50 minutes)
The Colonel is the story of the namesake of the Town of Winchester Massachusetts, Lt. Col. William Parsons Winchester.
The Colonel from Imcotek Digital Films on Vimeo.
The Dream (46 minutes)
In 2006 The Winchester Historical Society obtained a long term lease on the Sanborn House from the Town of Winchester. The story of getting the lease, which took six years, is told by two Historical Society Past-Presidents, Carol K. Keller and Gail Sjo.
The Dream from Imcotek Digital Films on Vimeo.
Winchester’s 150th Anniversary Ceremony (33 minutes)
Winchester Massachusetts celebrated in 150th Anniversary in 2000. The ceremony, held next to Town Hall, included dedication of the Town Flag, Winchester History sign, historic map, and burying of a time capsule.
Winchester 150th Anniversary Ceremony 2000-10-14 from Winchester Historical Society on Vimeo.
Winchester Center National Register District (23 minutes)
In 1987 Winchester’s town center was placed on the National Register. The film is a tour of this historic district.
Winchester MA Town Center National Register District from Winchester Historical Society on Vimeo.
Winchester’s Ghost Train
n 1875, fed-up with high shipping costs and shabby treatment from the Boston & Lowell Railroad, tannery owners in Winchester and Woburn Massachusetts banded together to promote and build a new railroad line from Wilmington to Somerville Massachusetts, calling it the Boston & Mystic Valley Railroad. Construction started in Woburn in the spring of 1878 but was never finished due to poor management, politics, and bad timing. Although the road was graded over its 14.5 mile length, tracks were never laid. Scars of this endeavor are still visible on the Winchester and Woburn landscapes, notably the northern section of the Woburn Loop and Winter Pond. The major players in this story are Charles Adams Jr., Stephen Dob, and Samuel Twombly.
Winchester’s Ghost Railroad from Imcotek Digital Films on Vimeo.
