Winchester

History

Winchester was laid out in 1818 as the county seat of Randolph County, after five early settlers donated land for that purpose; the town was almost certainly named for Winchester, Virginia. The County government was organized in August of that year in the cabin of Benjamin Cox, a Quaker settler from North Carolina. A post office has been in operation at Winchester since 1820. During the mid-1800s, Randolph County, and thus Winchester, became notable for its role in abolitionism and the Underground Railroad. The county was home to three distinct settlements of free African Americans, and documentary evidence shows that many local homes and churches served as stops on the Underground Railroad.. The Gen. Asahel Stone Mansion, Winchester Courthouse Square Historic District, and Winchester Residential Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At 7:58pm on March 14, 2024, a quarter-mile wide EF3 tornado hit Winchester during a severe weather outbreak. Severe damage was dealt to the Goodwill, The Lodge at Summers Pointe, and Strip Mall. The Freedom Life Church and Taco Bell were flattened. Thirty-eight were injured and three were left critically injured; one of the three died weeks later. As of June 2024, three months after the tornado's touchdown, the remainder of the Strip Mall was demolished as a result of its ultimate destruction from the tornado. It was subsequently rebuilt into a Wendy's restaurant about a year later. Summers Pointe and Taco Bell both underwent repairs and eventually reopened. A similar situation occurred at 5:53 pm on May 13, 2025, when an EFU landspout tornado touched down unexpectedly near the area but caused no damage.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Winchester has a total area of , of which (or 99.61%) is land and (or 0.39%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  176
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  161
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  157
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  148
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  139
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  135
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  134
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  127

Largest nearby schools

• North Side Elementary School
  Elementary · Union City · 561 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Winchester Community High School
  High · Winchester · 414 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Union City Community Jr/Sr High
  High · Union City · 367 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• O R Baker Elementary School
  Elementary · Winchester · 338 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Randolph Southern Elementary Sch
  Elementary · Lynn · 294 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Lee L Driver Middle School
  Middle · Winchester · 291 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Willard Elementary School
  Elementary · Winchester · 235 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• Randolph Southern Jr-Sr High Sch
  High · Lynn · 228 students · 14.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2023-12-09
  5 km W of Jackson Center, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2015-06-12
  6 km NW of Convoy, Ohio
• M 3.8 — 2010-12-30
  6 km SE of Greentown, Indiana
• M 2.8 — 2008-09-30
  5 km SW of Kettlersville, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2006-08-15
  3 km NE of Fort Shawnee, Ohio
• M 2.8 — 2006-05-12
  2 km E of Lima, Ohio