The Stewart Bell Jr. Archives is a local history and genealogy center jointly operated by the Handley Regional Library and the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society. Our holdings include a variety of materials documenting the history of the Lower Shenandoah Valley from 1732 to the present, with an emphasis on the City of Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia.
Archives News & Events
Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia's Quakers in Exile, 1777-1778
Many locals will be familiar with the connection to prisoners of war camps the Winchester area has had throughout history: the Hessian prisoners brought here during the Revolutionary War and the German prisoners during World War II. Many may be unfamiliar with the story of a small group of 20 men from Philadelphia, PA exiled out of the commonwealth and sent to Winchester for months during the Revolutionary War. Norman Donoghue’s new book Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia’s Quakers in Exile, 1777-1778 examines that topic.
A Few of My Favorite Things
There's one more chance to attend our popular Archives After Hours event this year. The final one will be held on Thursday, October 24 @ 5:30 pm. If you haven't heard, each Archives After Hours event begins with a presentation concerning special items found within the collection and an explanation of how those items can help the researchers that visit the space.
Preserving your Memories
Have you ever thought about all the photos on your phone: photos of loved ones, silly moments that bring you joy, and milestones in your life? Can you find the photo you want to show someone quickly? Do you worry what could happen to those photos should the phone break? Do you have a plan to preserve those photos for the future?
Digital photography has made it so much easier to make memories, but also brings new challenges when it comes to organizing and preserving these digital images for future use.