SILENT GROUNDS COLLECTIVE · NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL ARCHIVE

Winchester Works & the Factory Neighborhood

SGC-CT040-040 · Research edition September 12, 2026

A selected, source-based research collection for New Haven and Fairfield counties. Includes credited photographs where reusable images were located, historical interpretation and links to supporting records. It is a growing inventory, not an exhaustive survey. Photographs retain their individual dates and reuse terms; images do not establish present access conditions.

Collection cover: see credited item below

The story in pictures

Tract K shooting range: northeast exterior

Tract K shooting range: northeast exterior

Undated; historic engineering survey photograph

Winchester Tract K shooting range, looking southwest.

Image credit and source
Tract K shooting range: exterior looking north

Tract K shooting range: exterior looking north

Undated; historic engineering survey photograph

Winchester Tract K shooting range, looking north.

Image credit and source
Tract K shooting range: target end of Range 3

Tract K shooting range: target end of Range 3

Undated; historic engineering survey photograph

Interior of Winchester shooting range 3, target end.

Image credit and source
Winchester plant at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue

Winchester plant at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue

6 April 1918

Crowd at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue, Winchester plant, 6 April 1918.

Image credit and source
Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-1) - DPLA - 88cef28f59e00160beeabbe758b7c9ab.jpg

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-1) - DPLA - 88cef28f59e00160beeabbe758b7c9ab.jpg

1917–1918 per catalog

Rifle-stock manufacturing at Winchester.

Image credit and source
Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-57) - DPLA - d9e9bbc493dddda5c4daeff5f57a4b75.jpg

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-57) - DPLA - d9e9bbc493dddda5c4daeff5f57a4b75.jpg

1917–1918 per catalog

Winchester machinery used for trimming.

Image credit and source
Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-59) - DPLA - 38a18902f142fcf56c3cfa8f489a0822.jpg

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-59) - DPLA - 38a18902f142fcf56c3cfa8f489a0822.jpg

1917–1918 per catalog

Worker planing a rifle stock at Winchester.

Image credit and source
VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING OPEN SPACE AT RANGE BUILDING AT NORTH END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-3.tif

VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING OPEN SPACE AT RANGE BUILDING AT NORTH END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-3.tif

Undated survey photograph

Open interior at the north end of Winchester's Tract K range.

Image credit and source
VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHEAST, SHOWING DETAIL OF RANGE 1 TARGET END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), New Haven, HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-6.tif

VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHEAST, SHOWING DETAIL OF RANGE 1 TARGET END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), New Haven, HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-6.tif

Undated survey photograph

Target end of Winchester Range 1.

Image credit and source
Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. LCCN94506155.jpg

Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. LCCN94506155.jpg

Between 1914 and 1918

Women in Winchester's polishing shop. Title: Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. Abstract/medium: 1 photographic print.

Image credit and source
Read the full history

Collection history

Winchester’s New Haven complex grew across several city blocks. Preservation Connecticut dates the first buildings at this site to 1870 and records a major expansion in 1914–1916. The surviving industrial fabric includes both nineteenth-century brick construction and the reinforced-concrete buildings of the wartime expansion. [CT040-S01] [CT040-S02]

The factory was part of a larger neighborhood. The National Register district includes hundreds of residential buildings as well as industrial structures. Reading the works together with nearby housing helps explain how a large employer shaped the daily geography of a city. [CT040-S01] [CT040-S02]

The contrast between the first works of 1870 and the building campaign of 1914–1916 makes Winchester a story about scale. A factory that expanded across blocks also changed the distances people traveled between home, a gate and a particular workshop. The district's houses belong in this history alongside its industrial buildings. They make it possible to study an employer as part of a neighborhood, while leaving open who occupied any particular house and where each resident worked. [CT040-S01] [CT040-S02]

Different records preserve different parts of this working city. An exterior survey locates buildings and construction materials; a photograph of production places people and equipment within those spaces. Neither provides a complete account of pay, training or working conditions. Read the architecture together with the dated labor photographs, then look for payrolls, city directories and workers' testimony to connect a visible room or street to an individual life. [CT040-S01] [CT040-S02]

Key dates

  • 1870 — First buildings at the New Haven site CT040-S01
  • 1914–1916 — Major factory expansion CT040-S01

Site status: Historic industrial district; surviving, altered and reused buildings

A closer look at the surviving record

Tract K shooting range: northeast exterior

Winchester Tract K shooting range, looking southwest.

Read the image and source notes: CT040-P01

Tract K shooting range: exterior looking north

Winchester Tract K shooting range, looking north.

Read the image and source notes: CT040-P02

Tract K shooting range: target end of Range 3

Interior of Winchester shooting range 3, target end.

Read the image and source notes: CT040-P03

Winchester plant at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue

Crowd at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue, Winchester plant, 6 April 1918.

Read the image and source notes: CT040-P04

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-1) - DPLA - 88cef28f59e00160beeabbe758b7c9ab.jpg

Rifle-stock manufacturing at Winchester.

Read the image and source notes: ED-P96771874

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-57) - DPLA - d9e9bbc493dddda5c4daeff5f57a4b75.jpg

Winchester machinery used for trimming.

Read the image and source notes: ED-P96668750

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-59) - DPLA - 38a18902f142fcf56c3cfa8f489a0822.jpg

Worker planing a rifle stock at Winchester.

Read the image and source notes: ED-P97019116

VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING OPEN SPACE AT RANGE BUILDING AT NORTH END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-3.tif

Open interior at the north end of Winchester's Tract K range.

Read the image and source notes: ED-P33831425

VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHEAST, SHOWING DETAIL OF RANGE 1 TARGET END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), New Haven, HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-6.tif

Target end of Winchester Range 1.

Read the image and source notes: ED-P33831419

Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. LCCN94506155.jpg

Women in Winchester's polishing shop. Title: Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. Abstract/medium: 1 photographic print.

Read the image and source notes: ED-P68161811

Search the collection

Includes source text where acquired. Source websites require an internet connection. OCR may contain errors; verify names and dates against the scan.

12 catalog entries

CT040-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026

Preservation Connecticut: Winchester works

Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Factories, testing facilities and surrounding streets reveal the scale of Winchester’s New Haven operations.

External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.

Credit: Preservation Connecticut. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, CT040-S01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT040-S02 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026

Winchester factory neighborhood historic district

Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. Factories, testing facilities and surrounding streets reveal the scale of Winchester’s New Haven operations.

External source; the full publication remains with its publisher. The archive provides an original educational summary and a link. See the collection history for the claims supported by this record.

Credit: Winchester factory neighborhood historic district. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, CT040-S02, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT040-P01 · Photographs · Undated; historic engineering survey photograph

Tract K shooting range: northeast exterior

Winchester Tract K shooting range, looking southwest.

Public domain U.S. National Park Service photograph (PD-USGov-NPS). LOC: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. Original repository record: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ct0399.photos.024174p

Tract K shooting range: northeast exteriorCredit: Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service; photographer not identified in source metadata / Public domain. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, CT040-P01, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT040-P02 · Photographs · Undated; historic engineering survey photograph

Tract K shooting range: exterior looking north

Winchester Tract K shooting range, looking north.

Public domain U.S. National Park Service photograph (PD-USGov-NPS). LOC: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. Original repository record: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ct0399.photos.024173p

Tract K shooting range: exterior looking northCredit: Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service; photographer not identified in source metadata / Public domain. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, CT040-P02, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT040-P03 · Photographs · Undated; historic engineering survey photograph

Tract K shooting range: target end of Range 3

Interior of Winchester shooting range 3, target end.

Public domain U.S. National Park Service photograph (PD-USGov-NPS). LOC: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government. Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image. Original repository record: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ct0399.photos.024180p

Tract K shooting range: target end of Range 3Credit: Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service; photographer not identified in source metadata / Public domain. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, CT040-P03, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

CT040-P04 · Photographs · 6 April 1918

Winchester plant at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue

Crowd at Munson Street and Winchester Avenue, Winchester plant, 6 April 1918.

Public domain in the United States (source file license). Image supplied at web resolution; no editorial changes to the source image.

Winchester plant at Munson Street and Winchester AvenueCredit: Lt. Lentz, SIG.R.C / Public domain. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, CT040-P04, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-P96771874 · Photographs · 1917–1918 per catalog

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-1) - DPLA - 88cef28f59e00160beeabbe758b7c9ab.jpg

Rifle-stock manufacturing at Winchester.

Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. The mount labels the activity Making rifle stocks. Receipt date is not exposure date. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: Public domain

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-1) - DPLA - 88cef28f59e00160beeabbe758b7c9ab.jpgCredit: War Department. 1789-9/18/1947 / This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America , via its partner Digital Public Library of America . Record in source catalog DPLA identifier: 88cef28f59e00160beeabbe758b7c9ab National Archives Identifier: 45521383. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, ED-P96771874, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-P96668750 · Photographs · 1917–1918 per catalog

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-57) - DPLA - d9e9bbc493dddda5c4daeff5f57a4b75.jpg

Winchester machinery used for trimming.

Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. Mount identifies rifles manufactured for government use and Trimming. March 24, 1919 is explicitly REC'D, not TAKEN. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: Public domain

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-57) - DPLA - d9e9bbc493dddda5c4daeff5f57a4b75.jpgCredit: War Department. 1789-9/18/1947 / This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America , via its partner Digital Public Library of America . Record in source catalog DPLA identifier: d9e9bbc493dddda5c4daeff5f57a4b75 National Archives Identifier: 45521495. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, ED-P96668750, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-P97019116 · Photographs · 1917–1918 per catalog

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-59) - DPLA - 38a18902f142fcf56c3cfa8f489a0822.jpg

Worker planing a rifle stock at Winchester.

Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. Mount says Planeing the stock; normalize caption spelling to planing. Distinct pose/view from ED-P 96771874. March 24, 1919 is REC'D. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: Public domain

Ordnance - Manufacture - Winchester Repeating Arms Co. (New Haven, Connecticut) (165-WW-374A-59) - DPLA - 38a18902f142fcf56c3cfa8f489a0822.jpgCredit: War Department. 1789-9/18/1947 / This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America , via its partner Digital Public Library of America . Record in source catalog DPLA identifier: 38a18902f142fcf56c3cfa8f489a0822 National Archives Identifier: 45521499. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, ED-P97019116, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-P33831425 · Photographs · Undated survey photograph

VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING OPEN SPACE AT RANGE BUILDING AT NORTH END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-3.tif

Open interior at the north end of Winchester's Tract K range.

Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. Film border HAER CT-28-3 is consistent with range survey sequence. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: Public domain

VIEW, LOOKING EAST, SHOWING OPEN SPACE AT RANGE BUILDING AT NORTH END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-3.tifCredit: / https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ct0399.photos.024175p. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, ED-P33831425, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-P33831419 · Photographs · Undated survey photograph

VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHEAST, SHOWING DETAIL OF RANGE 1 TARGET END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), New Haven, HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-6.tif

Target end of Winchester Range 1.

Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. Interior and visible HAER CT-28-6 film label support selected survey subject. Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: Public domain

VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHEAST, SHOWING DETAIL OF RANGE 1 TARGET END, Interior - Winchester Repeating Arms Company, Tract K Shooting Range, 125 Munson Street (rear section), New Haven, HAER CONN,5-NEWHA,39-6.tifCredit: / https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ct0399.photos.024178p. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, ED-P33831419, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.

ED-P68161811 · Photographs · Between 1914 and 1918

Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. LCCN94506155.jpg

Women in Winchester's polishing shop. Title: Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. Abstract/medium: 1 photographic print.

Image resized for the reading room. Source content retained. LOC Created/Published explicitly supplies range, not single 1914. https://www.loc.gov/item/94506155/ Display copy optimized for the web with proportional resizing and compression. The linked repository identifies the original image. Reuse: Public domain

Women making Browning machine guns - general view of polishing shop, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Conn. LCCN94506155.jpgCredit: Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress / Library of Congress Catalog: https://lccn.loc.gov/94506155 Image download: https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c10000/3c11000/3c11100/3c11139v.jpg Original url: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/94506155/. Cite SGC SGC-CT040-040, ED-P68161811, source title, page and URL; accessed 2026-09-12.