Winnie Lear

After teaching and raising three children, Winnie Lear and her husband returned to Chatham and moved into their home in the Old Village . Her maternal ancestors have been here for 13 generations. Her father’s family settled here when her grandfather’s plumbing company joined the team to construct Chatham Bars Inn early in the twentieth century. She attended Chatham schools and graduated from Chatham High School in 1964. During the 1960s She had jobs with several iconic businesses : The Clam Bar on Bridge Street, The Sail Loft, The Atwood Store as well as Chatham Bars Inn.

Due to her interest in historic preservation she became active in the Old Village Association and is now president of the organization. She is an original member of the board of the Orpheum Theater and is proud of its successful return to “showing movies on Main Street” .
She looks forward to joining the board of the Chatham Historical Society which has played such an important role in preserving the history and culture of our beautiful town.