Clark County celebrates Women’s History Month with a look at four Winchester landmarks that have been impacted by four different women—each a famous figure who made history through a life lived with curiosity and courage, dedication and tenacity, and who continue to inspire and influence.
“Though not always visible, women have always been the backbone of society,” said Mayor JoEllen Reed, who made history herself in 2022 as Winchester’s first woman mayor. “Through the years, Women of Winchester (WOW) have contributed so much. Many have been trailblazers and examples for other women.“From the women of history to the women of today, these women have exhibited resilience, courage, stamina and strength. Come visit and experience our WOW Factor.”
The Beer Cheese Trail® and Jemimah Boone
Inquisitiveness and an adventuresome spirit put Daniel Boone’s daughter, Jemima, on the path to posterity. In 1776, the 14-year-old, along with her friends, sisters Betsey and Fanny Callaway, left the safety of Fort Boonesborough by canoe, drifting down the Kentucky River to land occupied by present-day Waterfront Grille—one of the many stops on the Beer Cheese Trail®. Here, the teens were captured by a band of Shawnee and taken north.
Although the girls were rescued (unharmed) two days later by Daniel Boone and his search party, the incident would later inspire James Fenimore Cooper in writing his 1826 novel, The Last of the Mohicans, which in turn spawned the award-winning 1992 movie of the same name.
Diners who stop by the Waterfront Grille for a signature Beer Cheese dish—WF Beer Cheese, Beer Cheese Burger, Beer Cheese Grilled Cheese—also get a side of history. For owner Deborah Garrison, telling the story of the kidnapping is part of the restaurant’s customer service by educating travelers and locals alike about the historical event.
NOTE: The story of Jemimah Boone’s kidnapping is illustrated on one of the “Scenes from the Kentucky River” murals located at the Civil War Fort at Boonesboro.
Abettor Brewing, FannyFest Cider Festival, Winchester Black Heritage & Historical Society and Fanny Cole
Winchester’s first legal cider maker was a formerly enslaved woman born in the early 1770s, presumably in Virginia, and brought to Clark County, Kentucky, in the late 1820s. Here, Fanny met and married Aaron Cole, a freeman who in 1827 purchased her freedom.
The couple operated a food and sundries store from their home, located on the corner of what is now Broadway and Maple in downtown Winchester. An entrepreneur in her own right, Fanny made and sold cider to great acclaim. She also bought adjacent properties to expand her store, made many of her own goods and successfully operated all her enterprises until her death in 1849.
As a tribute to this remarkable woman, Abettor Brewing Company created a line of hard apple ciders named Fanny Cole. In 2023, the brewery partnered with the Winchester Black Heritage & Historical Society to create and host the FannyFest Cider Festival, which takes place annually in mid-October. The event features Abettor Brewing’s cider, plus food trucks, live music and a storyteller who shares Fanny’s story.
Learn more about Fanny’s neighborhood with a stroll along the Heritage Trail, created by the Winchester Black Heritage & Historical Society. Sample the ciders created in Fanny’s honor at Abettor Brewing. Read more about her story here.
Loma’s at the Opera, Winchester Opera House and Helen Keller
If the walls at Loma’s at the Opera House could talk, they’d tell you about a historic visit by Helen Keller.
On February 19, 1916, the author, disability rights advocate and political activist gave an inspirational speech at the Winchester Opera House. Every one of the 462 seats in the circa 1873 performing arts venue was filled.
Keller’s autobiography, The Story Of My Life—on which the 1962 movie, “The Miracle Worker,” was eventually based—had been published in 1903, catapulting Keller to international fame.
The headline in the Feb. 21, 1916, edition of The Winchester Sun sums up the evening’s success: “Business Practically Stops While Citizens Do Honor to World’s Greatest Woman.”
Today, the Winchester Opera House is a gorgeous wedding venue as well as home to Loma’s, a cozy restaurant—and stop on the Beer Cheese Trail®—with banquet seating warmed by fireplaces and exposed brick walls and serving exceptional cuisine, including classic Kentucky fare given a Loma’s twist, like the delectable Smoked Gouda Hot Brown.
Winchester Downtown Walking Tour and Helen Thomas
More than a century ago, a woman who became one of the country’s most well-known journalists was born in Winchester at the house at 17 East Broadway: Helen Thomas, the “dean of the Washington, D.C., press corps,” was born in Winchester on August 4, 1920—the seventh of nine children—to Lebanese immigrant parents George and Mary Thomas. The couple had arrived in the United States in 1903 with $17 in their pockets.
Thomas’ illustrious career included being the first female officer of the National Press Club; being handpicked by the White House to accompany President Richard Nixon on his historic 1972 visit to China; and being named chief of UPI’s White House bureau in 1974—the first woman ever to hold this position for any of the wire services.
See the house where Thomas was born on Winchester’s Downtown Walking Tour. It is one of 27 stops on this historic tour, which also includes the Bluegrass Heritage Museum, housed in a former hospital.