Editing Winchester, Tennessee (section)

==History==
Winchester was created as the seat of justice for Franklin County by act of the [[Tennessee Legislature]] on November 22, 1809, and was laid out the following year.<ref name=tehc /> The town is named for [[James Winchester (general)|James Winchester]], a soldier in the [[American Revolution]], first Speaker of the Tennessee Legislature, and a [[brigadier general]] in the [[War of 1812]], though he never lived in Winchester.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winchester TN History |url=https://www.timsford411.com/winchester-tn |access-date=November 4, 2023}}</ref>  The historic [[Hundred Oaks Castle]] is located in Winchester.

[[Mary Sharp College]] (originally the "Tennessee and Alabama Female Institute", but later renamed in honor of Mary Corn Sharp, a donor) was founded in 1851 by Z. C. Graves and the Baptist Church. Though a [[Timeline of women's colleges in the United States|women's college]], it offered a [[classical education movement|classical curriculum]] based upon what was being offered at the time by [[Amherst College]], [[Brown University]], and the [[University of Virginia]]. It closed in 1896.<ref name=tehc /> During the 19th century, the institution helped make Winchester an educational center. Other private schools in the city were Carrick Academy for male students (founded in 1809), Winchester Female Academy (founded in 1835), and Winchester Normal College.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.winchester-tn.com/history-and-culture/history-of-winchester/ |title=History of Winchester |first=Beatrice A. |last=Collins}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://mtweb.mtsu.edu/tullproj/Communities/winchester.html |title=Winchester |work=The Tullahoma Campaign |publisher=Middle Tennessee State University |access-date=March 4, 2014}}</ref>

The city was occupied first by [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] and then by [[Union Army|Union]] troops during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Winchester, along with the rest of Franklin County, seceded from the Union several months before the rest of Tennessee, unofficially becoming a part of [[Alabama]] until the rest of the state seceded. It lay on the line of retreat to [[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] followed by the [[Confederate Army of Tennessee]] during the campaign of 1863.

Recreation in Winchester received a significant boost when the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]] started construction of the [[Tims Ford Dam]] along the [[Elk River (Tennessee)|Elk River]] in 1966. The project was completed in 1972, and [[Tims Ford Lake]] is now known for excellent [[boating]] and [[bass fishing]] opportunities. [[Tims Ford State Park]] is located along the lake's shoreline.