Winchester and Winsted once blossomed with commerce. From cheeses that were sold to the most exclusive restaurants in major cities to tourism that proclaimed "the lake's the thing," the towns thrived. The production of clocks, clothing, knives and gold- and silver-plated coffin trimmings helped establish the region's prominence. Famous names like Rockwell, Beardsley, Boyd, Gilbert and Strong highlight the town's history, not only due to their business acumen but also because of their philanthropy. Colonel Samuel B. Horne, who earned the Medal of Honor in the Civil War, along with noteworthy journalists and artists all made their home here. And then, in 1955, disaster struck. Join local historian and author Virginia Shultz-Charette as she recounts the town's development and how the great flood changed everything. Virginia Shultz-Charette is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she specialized in Civil War history, women's political history and public history. She is a member of the Winchester Soldiers' Monument Commission, dedicated to maintaining the Civil War monument, which is in the National Register of Historic Places. She has given numerous programs about the war and the more than three hundred soldiers listed on the monument. She has also given walking tours, done research for the monument's annual cemetery walks and written a book with Verna Gilson for Arcadia's Images of America series about Winsted and Winchester. She lives with her husband, youngest son and her cocker spaniel, Tobey.