the Blue RidgeMountains. Namedone of the top 10places to retire in theUnited States by AARP,this picturesque smallcity is known for itscommitment to his-toric preservation aswell as for its scenicShenandoah Valleylocation barely morethan one hour fromWashington, D.C.

“I told my husbandwe’re already in theperfect place to retire,”says Lori Wolfe, atravel counselor with

the Winchester-FrederickCounty Convention and Visitors Bureau. Wolfe moved toWinchester from Connecticut when her husband’s job relocatedhim here. She’s been here ever since in the town that claims title asthe nation’s apple capital.

Some 250,000 people a year come to Winchester’s AppleBlossom Festival in May, which also plays host to the world’slargest fireman’s parade. Up until her death in 1963, Winchesternative Patsy Cline rode in the parade, even though she was neverofficially invited to participate. A driven, opinionated countrysinger who was prone to wearing pants and smoking cigarettes,

STORIES FROM THE ROAD

Cooperative Living/January 2014

Before it becameknown as Route 11and the “Valley

Pike,” the largely two-lane byway that runsdown the length ofVirginia’s ShenandoahValley and points southall the way to Bristol onthe state line withTennessee was first part of“The Great Wagon Road.”

The Great WagonRoad once ran from theport of Philadelphiathrough the AppalachianMountains, opening upsettlement of Virginia’sShenandoah Valley aswell as more isolated moun-tain regions southward into the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, andGeorgia. Along this route thousands of Anglo-Irish, Scots-Irish, andGermans settled the “backcountry” of the southern mountains.

Today the route through Virginia has become famous for its accessto Civil War battlefields, down-home cooking (Route 11 potato chipsand Mennonite baked goods, anyone?), antique shops and wineries.And while it parallels I-81 through Virginia, the interstate has notstolen the tourism traffic from this old U.S. highway. Quite the con-trary, all along Route 11, big towns and country villages are thriving.

I start my journey in Winchester, the first city established west of

30

Located along the northern stretch of Virginia’s Route 11, Winchester offers delights forCivil War buffs, old-time country music fans, and just plain wanderers like me.

Stories and photos byDeborah Huso,

Contributing Writer

THIS YEAR COOPERATIVE LIVING IS TAKING A

ROAD TRIP ALONG THE LENGTH OF ROUTE 11 AS

IT CROSSES VIRGINIA FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.

EACH ISSUE, CORRESPONDENT DEBORAH HUSO

WILL RELATE HER EXPERIENCES ALONG THE WAY.

Crazy for Winchester

Charming shops, diverse eateries, centuries-old architecture, historical landmarks andmuseums are all part of the attraction of Old Town Winchester.

31January 2014/www.co-opliving.com

Country-music legend Patsy Cline’s childhood home onKent Street is now a historic landmark (above).

The Winchester-Frederick County Convention and VisitorsBureau features a Patsy Cline exhibit, including replicas ofher western-style furniture (above). The four-block LoudonStreet Pedestrian Mall showcases Winchester’s historicdowntown district (below).

Cline was never happily embraced by herhometown during her lifetime. But she oftenmanaged to finagle a spot in the parade anyway.

Currently the Museum of theShenandoah Valley is hosting a “BecomingPatsy Cline” exhibit that chronicles thechart-topping singer’s life with a special focuson the years she spent in Winchester. Born toa 16-year-old mother in 1932, VirginiaPatterson Hensley, as she was named, moved19 times in the first 16 years of her life, oftenthanks to the hapless nature of her once-bootlegger father. Cline’s mother, Hilda, anaccomplished and hardworkingseamstress, eventually struck out onher own with her three children,renting a house on Kent Street inWinchester and doing everythingfrom dressmaking to launderingand babysitting to help make endsmeet.

Meanwhile, young Clineimbibed her mother’s work ethic,quit school at age 16, and went towork herself, all the while practic-ing on the piano her mother hadbought her eight years before andlooking for every opportunity shecould to sing, often balancing herwork as a soda jerk at Gaunt’s DrugStore with performances at theWinchester Palace Theater.

“She never learned to read music,”says Scott Summers, a docent at thePatsy Cline Historic House on KentStreet. Simmons says Cline learnedher art by ear and received constantencouragement from Hilda, who alsosewed most of Cline’s dresses andcostumes even once she had becomea star. “The two were so close inage,” Summers remarks. “They weremore like sisters than mother anddaughter.”

Summers developed his love ofCline’s soulful and sometimesmournful sound as a young boy. “Mydad loved Cline and other old-timecountry stars like Loretta Lynn andGeorge Jones,” he explains. “I grewup listening to it, and Cline’s musicis timeless and still resonates today.”

Cline, who finally gained nationalrecognition when she appeared onArthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in1957, singing “Walkin’ AfterMidnight,” was responsible for devel-oping what became known as the“Nashville Sound.” Her music toppedboth popular and country music

From Top: Scott Summers, a docent in thePatsy Cline Historic House, says Clinelearned her art by ear. Julie Armel, directorof marketing and public relations at theMuseum of the Shenandoah Valley, says ahost of Cline’s dresses and costumes are ondisplay at the museum. Lori Wolfe, travelcounselor with the Winchester-FrederickCounty Convention and Visitors Bureau,says the city is the perfect place to retire.

32 Cooperative Living/January 2014

charts. “She was the first crossover artist inAmerican music history,” Summers explains.

Her success as a working-class girl risingto stardom is spellbinding, but her personallife was often rocky. She married at 21,divorced two years later, though she kept herhusband’s name as her stage name. Then shehad an affair with her manager, leading tothe end of his marriage, though the twonever wed. Cline was ultimately happily married to Charlie Dick, three years her jun-ior, in 1957. (You can, in fact, still visit thenostalgic department store where Dickbought his wedding suit — Bell’s onLoudoun Street!) But even as she rocketed tofame with hits like “Crazy” and “I Fall toPieces,” her run was short-lived. In 1963, shedied in a plane crash.

Dozens of photographs, memorabilia, anda host of her dresses and costumes are ondisplay right now at the Museum of theShenandoah Valley. Among them is herfamous red cowgirl dress, which the muse-um’s director of marketing and public rela-tions, Julie Armel, says is covered with 3,000rhinestones that Cline and her motherapplied by hand. “Most of thesedresses,” says Armel, “are on viewfor the first time publicly.”

CIVIL WAR WINCHESTERIf you’re looking to experience

the 150th anniversary of theAmerican Civil War, Winchester is

a good jumping-offpoint. Occupied by bothFederals andConfederates at variouspoints during the war,the city changed handsmore than 70 times dur-ing the conflict, and over6,000 Civil War soldiersare buried here. You canget a brief introductionto the conflict in theShenandoah Valley,which saw heavy actionin both 1862 and 1864, atthe Winchester-FrederickCounty Visitor Center’sCivil War OrientationCenter. The city ofWinchester is part of theShenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District (www.shenandoahatwar.org).

A centerpiece of Winchester’s Civil Warhistory is Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters,a Gothic-style cottage on Braddock Streetthat served as the general’s headquarters dur-ing the winter of 1861-’62 while he preparedfor his famous Valley Campaign.

If you’re lucky, you might land JoanneHapp as a tour guide. “That’s ‘happy’ with-out the ‘y,’” she notes, as she tugs on herwhite gloves, dressed to the hilt in full ante-bellum regalia. Happ’s interest in Civil Warhistory is fully justified. Her family, theRoulettes, owned three farms on the battle-field at Antietam. Happ is a font of historicaltidbits and tells me at the start of our tour,“Sometimes Winchester changed handsmore than once in the same day.”

Happ is afond admirer ofJackson, particularly his dogged determina-tion, not just as an officer but as a person.“He graduated from West Point 17th in hisclass with only a third-grade education,” sheremarks. “He believed he could do anythinghe wanted if he put his mind to it.”

Full of interesting trivia about the generalwho died of pneumonia following hiswounding at the Battle of Chancellorsville in1863, Happ tells me Jackson actually hadsandy brown hair, not the dark hair his por-traits so often show. To prove her point, sheshows me a lock of his hair in an exhibitcase. “Most artists paint him with dark hair,”she says. “Maybe it’s because they think itlooks more masculine.”

Jackson’s headquarters is loaded withcarefully preserved artifacts from the gener-al’s military campaigns, including the prayertable he took everywhere with him, his tele-graph table, adjutant’s desk, and camp chair.

And did you know actress Mary TylerMoore has a connection to Jackson’s head-quarters? She is the great-granddaughter ofLt. Col. Lewis Moore, who owned the housewhen Jackson made it his winter quarters.Moore actually paid to have the originalwallpaper in the home’s parlor, which servedas Jackson’s office, reproduced.

HEAD DOWNTOWNEven if you’re not into Civil War history

or country music, Winchester still has plentyto offer. Don’t leave town without paying avisit to the historic downtown district andthe Loudoun Street Pedestrian Mall, in par-ticular. This four-block renovation projectcost Winchester $7.1 million, but it’s beenwell worth it, according to DowntownManager Jennifer Bell. “What we have here is

FREE Visitors Guide (877) 871-1326VisitWinchesterVA.com

A centerpiece of Winchester’s CivilWar history is Stonewall Jackson’s

Headquarters (above). Joanne Happ(right), a tour guide at the HQ, is afont of historical knowledge about

Jackson and the war.

Shops and restaurants occupy the firstfloors, while apartments occupy the upperstories of many of the buildings on theLoudon Street Pedestrian Mall (left). TheMuseum of the Shenandoah Valley(above) is hosting a “Becoming PatsyCline” exhibit that chronicles the chart-top-ping singer’s life with a special focus onthe years she spent in Winchester.

IF YOU GO ...Get your bearings at the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau (1400 Pleasant

Valley Road, 540-542-1326, www.visitwinchesterva.com). The visitor center has an exhibit on Patsy Cline,including replicas of her western-style furniture. While you’re at the visitor center, which is adjacent to the cam-pus of Shenandoah University, you might also want to check out Abram’s Delight, the oldest home inWinchester, built in 1754 (1340 South Pleasant Valley Road, 540-662-6519). Open April through October,it is one of five homes owned and operated by the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society, which isheadquartered in the Hollingsworth Mill (1340 South Pleasant Valley Road, 540-662-6550, www.winchesterhistory.org). The Historical Society also operates Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters (415N. Braddock Street, 540-667-3242).Explore the world of Patsy Cline at the “Becoming Patsy Cline” exhibit at the Museum of the Shenandoah

Valley (901 Amherst Street, 540-662-1473, themsv.org). The exhibit is open through July and provides anexcellent grounding in the story of Cline’s life to prepare you for a visit to the Patsy Cline Historic House (608South King Street, 540-662-5555, www.celebratingpatsycline.org). Grab lunch about halfway between theMuseum of the Shenandoah Valley and the Patsy Cline house at Bonnie Blue Southern Market and Bakery(334 West Boscawen Street, 540-686-7490, www.bonnieblue.us), where you’ll find extraordinary down-home southern cooking. Pull up a picnic table, and eat pulled pork BBQ, spicy chicken salad, homemademac and cheese, fried apples, and buttermilk biscuits. You might as well go the full Monty on the calorie loadand have a beer or locally made apple cider with your meal as well!Be sure to check out the Loudoun Street Pedestrian Mall downtown. If you’re a Civil War buff, get your

bearings at the Old Courthouse Civil War Museum (20 North Loudoun Street, 540-542-1145, www.civilwarmuseum.org). Then pay a visit to the nostalgic department store where Patsy Cline’s second husband bought his wedding suit, Bell’s Men’s and Women’s Clothing (120-122 North Loudoun Street, 540-667-1430, www.BellsFineClothing.com). Stop in for a salad or sandwich and a bottle of wine to take homeat the Village Market & Bistro (2 South Loudoun Street, 540-313-4680), or if you have a particularly large appetite, try some huge helpings of south of the bor-der fare at El Centro (1 North Loudoun Street, 540-313-5139, www.ElCentroVA.com). I found the carne asada with rice and refried beans particularly tastythough tremendously oversized! El Centro has a large selection of jumbo margaritas as well.There are a handful of bed and breakfasts in Old Town Winchester (www.OldTownWinchesterVA.com), though if you prefer more contemporary lodgings,

then Aloft-Winchester (1055 Millwood Pike, 540-678-8899, www.alofthotels.com) is the place to check in. With its sleek and minimalist design, this hotel offersstudio-style rooms and a spacious lounge with billiards and cocktail bar. It’s also only minutes away from the visitor center and the campus of ShenandoahUniversity (1460 University Drive, 800-432-2266, www.su.edu).n

33January 2014/www.co-opliving.com

a vibrant, mixed-use community,” she says,noting that shops and restaurants occupy thefirst floors of buildings on the mall, whileapartments occupy the upper stories.

“We have more demand for apartmentsthan we can handle,” she remarks.

The mall has a splash pod for kids toenjoy in summer months, houses a seniorprogram center in the historic Godfrey MillerHouse, and has a privately owned small busi-ness incubator space called the Bright Center.“We have hardly any business space availabledowntown,” Bell says, “and we’re seeingincubator businesses growing and openingspaces of their own.”

To fully experience downtown’s architec-tural heritage, sign up for an ArchitecturalWalking Tour at the downtown visitor center(33 East Boscawen St.). In the summer, themall hosts Friday Night Live concerts, andevery first Friday of the month year-round,downtown shops stay open late. If you’re vis-iting this February, grab your sweetheart, andconsider participating in The Big Kiss, whichhas earned a reputation for hosting the mostpeople kissing simultaneously in Virginia.Learn more about Old Town Winchester atwww.OldTownWinchesterVA.com. n

With areas such as Boscawen Street (above) and the pedestrianmall (top), Downtown Manager Jennifer Bell (right) notes that,“What we have here is a vibrant, mixed-use community.”

Abram’s Delight (top), built in 1754, is theoldest home in Winchester. One of many fineeateries in Winchester, Bonnie Blue SouthernMarket and Bakery (above) offers extraordi-nary down-home southern cooking.