Winchester, Ohio–1815 / Morgan’s Raid–1863

Side A: Founded November 8, 1815 by General Joseph Darlington and named for his Virginia birthplace, Winchester was incorporated in 1864 and later became the eastern terminus of the Cincinnati and Eastern Railway (1877-1880). The first locomotive to enter Winchester, the “Dick Thomson,” was named after a local businessman who was largely responsible for building the railroad. Winchester was also the birthplace of Evelyn (Longman) Batchelder, first woman sculptor to become a full academician at the National Academy of Design in 1919. Side B: On July 15th, 3,000 Confederate cavalrymen under Gen. John Hunt Morgan stopped in Winchester, where they occupied homes, ransacked businesses, and seized horses and firearms. Amid the turmoil, a Union officer captured earlier in the raid managed to escape and was hidden under the floor of a local dwelling. The next day, Union cavalrymen under Gen. Edward Hobson were fed as they passed through town in pursuit of the infamous “Morgan’s Raiders.”