For many years, the village of Winchester was larger and more prominent
than rival Birmingham. And of course, at that time in history
Stockport didn't exist.
Winchester was on what was known as the Pioneer Ridge Road that ran between
Keokuk and Libertyville. It was on one of the county's early
stagecoach lines. Winchester was apparently the mail drop and
circulating point for that part of Van Buren County, as Jacob Lawton, first
postmaster at Birmingham, picked up his mail at that location.
Winchester had its own post office from July 22, 1840 until March 31, 1903.
The village was located in the approximate center of Section 21 of Union
Township and was laid out with 9 blocks, including the public square.
Winchester was founded on February 29, 1840 by John Reynolds and Jefferson
Cox. For several decades it maintained a population of about 200
people, reaching its zenith with an estimated 300 people in 1880.
Winchester is probably best known for the Anti-Horse Thief Association,
which met there for nearly 100 years and at one time claimed a membership of
more than 1000 subscribers. For a small fee, members were protected
and insured against such theft by the organization.
According to Rich Lowe's website, (iavanburen.org), the association was
formed in 1839 with J. M. Whitaker as President, Charles Price as
Vice-president, and Asa Smith Treasurer. The first meeting was held in
the blacksmith shop in Winchester. Later meetings were at Winchester's
Masonic Hall.
Of course, it was originally organized to prevent horse theft as well as to
track down thieves and bring them to justice. During the 1840s and
1850s, there were many horse thefts in Van Buren County and often blame was
cast onto the Mormons. Some of the evidence uncovered by the
association shows that most of the horse abductions were made by an
organized band of thieves who purposely directed suspicion to the Mormons to
cover their tracks.
The association continued to hold meetings at least annually until it
disbanded on April 3, 1937. During most of that time, it was known for
the elaborate picnics that were hosted each year. The last president
of the association was C. W. Workman of Birmingham.
Not much exists to suggest a village at Winchester other than the cemetery.
Winchester gradually faded into history after Birmingham and Stockport
secured a railroad line.