Beautiful in all seasons, Winchester is breathtaking in spring with its apple blossoms and lacy dogwoods, but the town is not only beautiful; it's also historically significant. Known first as Frederick Town, Winchester was the first English town west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This ancient place has been prized by everyone from the earliest indigenous peoples to the Europeans and Americans who fought over it. At the north end of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester has stood sentinel over the rest of the valley as an important strategic center during wartime. This is the town where George Washington got his military and political start and built Fort Loudoun during the French and Indian War, and during the turbulent times of the Civil War, Winchester changed hands more than 70 times. Many of this city's sons and daughters, such as explorer Admiral Richard E. Byrd and country singer Patsy Cline, have achieved the world's respect. This book is filled with the story of Winchester from an early frontier town to the thriving small city it is today. Title: Out of the Past Author: Priscilla Lehman Publisher: The Winchester Star Date: 12/15/2008 Rose Hill Farm, 234 Featherbed Lane, was built in sections before 1790 and about 1815. It stood until the mid-1980s when it was torn down for construction of the Apple Blossom Corners shopping center. In 1986, C. Douglas Adams bought Rose Hill Farm and the surrounding property from Hunter and Shirley Gaunt for $853,000. The land originally was owned by Abraham Hollingsworth, Winchester's first settler. This undated photo comes from the book, "Images of America: Winchester" by Kathryn Parker. The book, published by Arcadia Publishing, is for sale for $19.99 at Winchester Book Gallery, Handley Library Book Shop, Homespun Gifts, and other area merchants. The photo was taken by the Barr's Studio in Winchester and appeared in The Winchester Star. Parker will appear at a book signing from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Winchester Book Gallery, 185 N. Loudoun St. She and four other area historians are set to appear at 7 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley for "An Evening with Valley Authors." Author Kathryn Parker has selected old photographs, maps, drawings, and stories of earlier times that illustrate Winchester's 262 years as a community. Virginia has been Parker's home for over 30 years, and she is currently employed in Winchester at Handley Regional Library, helping researchers in the Stewart Bell Jr. Archives. Parker is also a freelance writer. Used Book in Good Condition