Stewart Bell, Jr. Archives room at the Handley Regional Library

The Society founded and continues to jointly operate the Stewart Bell, Jr. Archives room at the Handley Regional Library. The archives contains tens of thousands of documents on local history, files on homes and buildings in Winchester for architectural research and a vast collection of genealogical material on local as well as national subjects. Highlights of the collection include rare maps, books, manuscripts, and more.

The Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society began collecting Regional historic manuscripts in the 1950s, but there was no safe and accessible repository until construction of the new wing of the Handley library reached completion in 1979. It was the will of Louis L. Baker that made possible this “fireproof building to house local relics of historical value”.

The Archives Department began operations that same year in a reading and storage/workroom in the basement of this new wing. Working together, the Society and the Library formed a joint committee and was charged with organizing, planning, and overseeing the various activities of that department. The Society continues to play a continuing role in the Archives expansion of invaluable archival services.