Welcome to the Museum of Winchester History. 

We are a non-profit 502 (c) 3 organization whose mission is three fold:  1)  We build and conserve artifacts from North Central Idaho, focusing on the town of Winchester--"A TOWN TOO TOUGH TO DIE".  2)  We provide a meeting place for interpretive programming for visitors, residents and students to tell and experience the unique stories of the place and 3)  We network with area cultural and tourist organizations in order to best use our scarce resources.  

The Museum was founded in 1966 when the Craig Mountain Lumber Company, who had built the third Winchester townsite, shut down the mill.  The people of this "30 caliber town"  wanted to re-member their pioneer experiences, tell their story,  and they also wanted to  build on that heritage into the future.  That's our mission.

Our exhibits, located in the Museum  and on City Park grounds at of the  Winchester Community Center, include the Tracy Censky Native Plant garden,  the story of the mill, the Camas Prairie Railroad, mining, ranching--including a whole "milk" exhibit, the early pioneers who lived in this company-built town, their businesses, a wall of high school graduates, and the unique Lewis and Clark in Idaho permanent exhibit of   "Ordway's Search for Salmon".  We have a reasearch center, small museum sales area and access to the Community Kitchen and occasionally we take over  the whole building  for celebrations, as we did for the Smithsonian Outreach exhibit , Key Ingredients, and the opening celebration of Ordway's Search for Salmon this June.

Contact our curator at 208-924-7920 or our director at 509-758-8953 to schedule a visit by your group or organization.  We have work parties every Monday from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.  In the summers we are open also on Saturdays.

We are always looking for volunteers or groups interested in our interpretive programs.

So we invite you to come and see why this is a town "Too tough to die."

Call (208) 924-7920 or 509-758-8953  for details.

Museum of Winchester History
P.O. Box 3 
Winchester, Idaho 83555

winchmuseum@connectwireless.us