Crystal Lake, Winsted – Jerry Dougherty
The town of Winchester, located in Litchfield County, is in the state’s northwest corner and known as the Gateway to the Berkshire Mountains. Settled in 1732 and incorporated in 1771, Winchester contains the city of Winsted within its borders. Winsted, incorporated in 1750 and named for the towns of Winchester and Barkhamsted, was a major producer of mechanical clocks in the 1900s. Located along the Still River, the Gilbert Clock Company was one of the largest such operations in the world at the turn of the 20th century. Today, Winchester is home to one of the state’s largest lakes, Highland Lake, and is noted for its well-preserved and diverse 19th-century architecture.
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Video
Blizzard of 1888, Eye Witness Account on a Webster Wire Recorder 1949, 2011. Link.
Places
Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. “Paugnut State Forest,” 2012. Link.
“Soldiers’ Monument and Memorial Park,” 2011. Link.
Documents
Bailey, O.H. “Bird’s Eye View of Winsted, Connecticut 1908.” Bird’s-eye. New York: Bailey, 1908. University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center - MAGIC. Link.
“Broadside - New Designs Wm. L. Gilbert Clock.” Wm. L. Gilbert Co., ca. 1880s. Connecticut History Online, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Woodford, E. M. “Map of the Town of Winchester, Litchfield County, Conn.” Philadelphia, PA: Richard Clark, 1852. Connecticut History Online, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Mills, Lewis Sprague. “Photograph - Winsted Scythe Factory,” ca. - 1955 1895. Connecticut History Online, Connecticut State Library. Link.
O.H. Bailey & Company. “View of Winsted, Conn.” Bird’s-eye. Boston, MA: O.H. Bailey & Company, 1877. Connecticut History Online, Connecticut Historical Society. Link.
Connecticut State Library Digital Collections. “Winchester - WPA Architectural Survey,” 2013. Link.
“Winchester Collection.” Connecticut Digital Archive, n.d. Link.
Books
J.W. Lewis & Company. History of Litchfield County, Connecticut, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of the Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia, PA: J.W. Lewis & Company, 1881. Link.
Acorn Club of Connecticut, and Eliphaz Alvord. Winchester-Winsted in 1813. Hartford, CT: Acorn Club of Connecticut, 1961.
DeMars, Frank, and Elliot P. Bronson. Winsted and the Town of Winchester. Winsted, CT, 1972.
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