This Week in Winchester History: Winchester Police Involved in Car Chase

This is a regular column with items drawn from past editions of the Winchester Star.

1911

Cooking Classes

Any female resident of the town between the ages of 14 and 21 could take cooking classes at school, whether they were still attending classes or not.

1961

Police Chase

A 23-year-old Billerica man was arrested and sentenced to six months in jail when he lead Winchester Police on a chase along Cambridge Street and into Woburn.

The driver, John Hunt, fled because he had an expired license and was driving a stolen car. Police eventually caught Hunt as he lost control near Woburn Four Corners as he tried to turn onto Lexington Street. The car crashed into a tree.

Fire at School

A two-alarm fire broke out at the old Chapin School building on Swanton Street. The damage was estimated to cost around $25,000 to repair.

By the time the fire department arrived, the second floor was engulfed in flames and the roof had collapsed.

Summer school

Attendance for the summer school program doubled in Winchester compared to 1960. In 1961, there were 480 students that enrolled in the program. The year before there were 258.

Winning Farm 60 Years

Winning Farm, which was originally owned by William Henry Winning who died in 1898, was eventually turned into a home for homes called "Winning Home."

The home turned 60 in 1961.

1986

Equal Tax

The Board of Selectmen voted to tax residents and businesses equally. The Board of Assessors recommended taxing businesses and commercial property at 115 percent of their valuation. But the board voted to tax everyone one in town 100 percent of their property's valuation.

All the information for this story came from the Winchester Star.