Vol. 1  No. 4                                              JULY 1996

           PLOUGHSHARE & PRUNING HOOK            WINCHESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY

OF PLEASANT VALLEY

                                                                   

                                                                                          HISTORY: A Prerequisite to Planning the Future

Editorial

   We recently received a marvelous old photograph of a brick house built in the late 1880's by the Haslam family. Much to our dismay we learned that it had disappeared from the landscape of our community. The architecture was of an earlier period and its construction was guaranteed to be very costly if it was built today.

   We also recently witnessed a fire on the south side of our valley that threatened an older home located nearby. How many more can we to lose in the name of progress. Is it not important that we preserve our heritage?                            

                                  

Financial Update

    Our financial status as of the 29th of June is as follows:

General fund$1477.00      

Research & newsletter           $78.76

Helping Hands Stop Fire Short

    Who says the small town spirit is gone. This was proven on June 28 when an electric pole apparently had a problem and spewed sparks on a grassy field on Leon Road south of Salt Creek. The ensuing fire was spotted by local Residents and a contractor working in the area. Manning their garden hoses, shovels and the contractor's tractor, they quickly contained the fire before the arrival of the fire truck. Great job and thanks to the ladies and

gentlemen who once again proved that small towns have people who care and will jump in and do what is needed to be done.

June Happenings at The Society

   Our June meeting proved quite interesting. Helen Rheingans donated some family papers to our Society. These will be added to our growing collection of historical memrobillia that is being gathered. We also sat around the table talking about where we were born and our memories of the days gone by in Winchester and the surrounding areas. We also had an update on the condition of a long time resident of Winchester, Marie Domenigoni. We understand she is recuperating at home now. Get well soon Marie.

  We also had the privilege of corresponding and talking to another

early family of Pleasant Valley, the Haslams. We received from Helen Haslam Bruner of Lake Havasu City Arizona some fantastic

pictures and articles about her ancestors. These documents added greatly to our quest to gather and preserve our history. For those who can provide us with any pictures or data about Winchester and its surrounding area, we would like to hear from you. We have at our disposal a way to reproduce all documents and photographs. Rest assured that if you want your original's back we will return them. We would like to thank Helen Bruce Richardson of 

Riverside for the loan of her photographs and articles. We have made copies and returned her originals. We urge you to attend our July meeting to see all our new arrivals.

Tidbits From History

Gathered from the records of the San Jacinto Register

01/09/1890 Stillman well has been dug to 253 feet and gas increasing. Excitement increases at what the future might be. Is it coal or oil or both?

01/03/1890 Winslow Haslam loses his plow horse. The horse becomes mired down while plowing and in trying to regain his footing broke his neck.

01/01/1890 The first case of drunkenness reported in Winchester. Seems a young person brought a bottle to a party at one of the

halls hidden in a horse's seed bag. The bottle broke causing its contents to be mixed with the horses food and said horse did eat thereof. Results were one drunk horse.

09/09/1890 Townsite of Sentry, east of Winchester, is being plowed up and grain will be planted. Also the Benedict townsite

between Perris and Winchester is being planted leaving  Winchester mistress of the plains.           

                          Please scroll to the top and right

01/16/1890 A visit to Diamond Valley sees Aunt Roxy out plowing her place. She has a beautiful place on the hillside.

01/23/1890 The frozen zephyrs are flinging frost in the air nightly.

01/23/1890 W.C.T.U. holds a meeting. Mrs. Haslam is appointed superintendent of school work and Mrs long is to help temperance work in the Sunday Schools.

03/08/1890 Winchester and San Jacinto hold a ball game.

03/11/1890 Marvin Hull visits the Register in San Jacinto.

03/13/1890 A very interesting and impressive sermon was preached in the church last Sunday by the pastor Rev. S. P. Sawden

To Ruin Your Town

  Denounce your merchants because they make a profit on their goods.

  Refuse to unite in any scheme for the betterment or the material interests of the people.

  Tell your merchants that you can buy goods a great deal cheaper in some other town and charge them with extortion.

  If a stranger comes to your town tell him everything is overdone and predict a general crash in the town in the near future.

  Patronize outside newspapers to the exclusion of your own, and then denounce them for not being as large as city papers.

  If you are a merchant, don't advertise in the home papers; buy a rubber stamp and use it. It may save you a few dimes, and make the

paper look as if it was printed in a one-horse town.

  If you are a farmer, curse the town where you trade as the meanest place on earth. Talk this to your neighbors, make them think the

business men are robbers and thieves. It will make your property less valuable, but don't you care.

  (THIS ARTICLE WAS COPIED FROM THE SAN JACINTO REGISTER OF 03/10/1891 AND IS REPRINTED HERE WITH NO EDITORIAL COMMENT.)

Fried Chicken 1890's Style

    Chickens, like any other game, should be dressed over night, and then thoroughly cold before being cooked. If they can be cleaned out

without the use of water, so much the better. Then cut the pieces, dip into flour strongly seasoned with salt and pepper and a little nutmeg if liked, and in an iron or porcelain skillet, in which equal quantity of lard and butter has been made boiling hot. When browned on both sides, set the skillet on the back of the stove, cover closely, and cook slowly till very tender, turning frequently.

   Remove the chicken, brown a spoonful of flour in the remaining grease, add milk and salt, and serve with the chicken which will be very nice.

(COPIED FROM THE SAN JACINTO REGISTER OF 1891. NEXT MONTH: STUFFED POTATOES

   The PLOUGHSHARE & PRUNING HOOK was the original newspaper in Winchester. We thought it fitting to name our newsletter

accordingly to preserve our past. It is published in Pleasant Valley each month by the WINCHESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF

PLEASANT VALLEY to keep people informed about the history of the area around Winchester.

   We try to gather the history of not only Winchester, but also Menifee, Domenigoni and Diamond Valley, French and Auld Valley and the area between Green Acres and Perris

WINCHESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY

P. O. BOX 69

WINCHESTER, CALIFORNIA 92596