Historical Things to do Winchester TN

We discussed a variety of Things to do in Winchester TN, Things to do in Lynchburg TN, and Things to do in Tullahoma TN, but one thing we passed by was the amazing Historical Things to do Winchester TN.

The history of the Winchester area is quite amazing.

Winchester TN Square - Historical Things to do Winchester Tennessee

Often you think of history as a roadside sign or marker. A random sign on a building. But in the Winchester TN Square has an amazing history to itself. The buildings surrounding the square are from the very early 1900's or 1800's. Recently the historical society placed historical plaques on the buildings.

Franklin County Courthouse c 1952

The square is small and you can walk around it in maybe 15 minutes while reading the signs and maybe visiting the 21st century businesses residing in these 19th century buildings. And while you're walking there are quite a few great places to eat in Winchester as well.

Winchester Square - Historical Things to do Winchester TN

Here's an example of a plaque on one of the buildings built in 1889.

Old post office plaque - Historical Things to do Winchester TN

And the Winchester TN historical building zooming out.

Old post office building - Historical Things to do Winchester TN

You'll see more buildings and plaques as you walk around the square. One of the more interesting ones is the bank built in 1901.

Old Bank 1901 - Historical Things to do Winchester TN

Notice the horse and carriage. And dirt streets. The building has gone through a variety of company residents until most recently becoming Walnut Hill Coffee.

Walnut Hill Coffee - Historical Things to do Winchester TN

You can see the historical plaque for this building just to the right of the photo above the bench.

Things to do Winchester TN - see a Castle

The Hundred Oaks Castle is a 19th century plantation home turned into a castle in the late 1800s with a very interesting past. We wrote a special article just on this which is fascinating and a true piece of history of Winchester TN. Unfortunately the castle is temporarily not open for visitors as of January 2022 though we do hope that it opens soon. See the Hundred Oaks Castle website for the most up to date details.

Hundred Oaks Castle - historical things to do winchester TN Historical Things to do Winchester TN: Hundred Oaks Castle

Civil War History - Historical Things to do Winchester TN

Did you know that Franklin County (Winchester is in Franklin County) succeeded before the state of Tennessee did in the Civil War?

The first paragraph states:

When Tennessee failed to secede from the Union on February 9, 1861, Franklin County residents met here at the courthouse. They listened to attorney Peter Turney’s forceful speech offering resolutions in favor of secession and reportedly adopted them unanimously. Turney raised a company in Winchester and recruited companies from surrounding communities to form the 1st Tennessee Infantry, which he offered to the Confederate government before April 9.

The regiment assembled here at Mary Sharp College, elected Turney colonel on April 27, and soon marched to Decherd to board a train for Virginia, and it subsequently fought in that state and at Gettysburg. On June 8, Tennessee followed Franklin County’s lead and left the Union—the last state to do so.

This placard is at the intersection of 1st Avenue NW and South High Street which is just a block or so off of the Winchester Square.

Three other interesting Civil War era historical locations are not located in Winchester but close by. The Cowan Railroad Museum (used during the civil war), and the Camp Harris Training Camp in Estill Springs TN (a few miles away) this has a plaque on the side of the road where the camp was located (its a field now). Interestingly, they also were guarding a railroad bridge over the Elk River -- the 1800's foundation can still be seen.

Estill Springs TN 1800's Railroad bridge foundation over the Elk River

Winchester Jail Museum

The Winchester TN Jail Museum is definitely one of the things to do Winchester TN. Its also a few blocks from the Winchester Square overlooking some of the Tims Ford Lake.

Winchester TN Jail Museum

This Winchester museum has great reviews and operates based on the small $1 entry fees and volunteers to give you a tour. Make sure to call the museum ahead of time to be sure they are open as they have limited hours but something not to be missed. Or if you're on the square just walk over.

Map of Winchester TN Old Jail Museum