Patsy Cline Historic House

  • Also Known As: Cline, Patsy, House

  • Address: 608 S Kent St
  • Vicinity: E Germain St
  • Travel Genus: Sight , Visit
  • Sight Category: Museums
  • Activity Category: Tour

Located in a working-class neighborhood in the City of Winchester, Virginia, this modest house was the residence of country music legend Patsy Cline (1932-63), who lived here from the ages of 16 to 21, when she married Gerald Cline. Patsy resided here from 1948-53, longer than at any other house associated with her in the Winchester and Nashville areas, and she returned to it intermittently until her singing career began in 1957.

Patsy's mother, Hilda Hensley, made a home here with her three children, Virginia Patterson (Patsy), Sylvia and Sam, Jr. The family's house was a foundation and a springboard for Patsy's ambitious dreams of becoming a country music star.

Patsy Cline's teenage and young adulthood home is significant beyond her musical career. It attests to the challenging personal circumstances of Patsy's girlhood and her unusual tenacity. She was determined to realize her personal dream to be a singer in a time when most women commonly remained in the home as housewives. As a struggling new talent in the 1950s and early 1960s - and, from the age of 15, one of two heads of the household - Patsy learned to succeed through hard work and perseverance, especially in the male-dominated realm of the country music industry.

Patsy's career was a slow rise from obscurity to fame. Patsy left school at age 16 to help her mother, recently separated from Patsy's father, make money to support the family. Her musical career began in Winchester as a singer on Joltin' Jim McCoy's broadcast on Sunday mornings on WINC. At Winchester's Palace Theater (demolished) Patsy engineered an introduction to famed gospel legend Wally Fowler and his Oak Ridge Quartet. Fowler, impressed by her singing, showed up at the family house promising to launch Patsy's career. Patsy's mother sewed some of her costumes at the house that appeared in Patsy's earlier shows. By 1954 Patsy signed her first record contract with 4 Star Records and in 1956 recorded her trademark song, Walkin' After Midnight.

After leaving her Winchester home Patsy would return, first when she was pregnant with her first child, Julie. In 1959 Patsy and Charlie moved to Nashville . Patsy Cline's life ended in a plane crash on March 5, 1963, in Camden, Tennessee. In spite of her shortened career, her influence and impact on the music industry only grew. The house in Winchester serves as a proud testament to Patsy's love of family. Her devoted and influential relationship with her mother and their drive and determination launched Patsy's career. According to a recent interview with Patsy's second husband, Charlie Dick, much of the Winchester house, its landscaping and the surrounding neighborhood appear approximately the same as when Patsy lived there. - NPS


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Timeline

Y/M/D Person Association Description Composition Food Event
Y/M/D Person Association Description Composition Food Event
1948/00/00 Patsy Cline Home Patsy Cline's home from 1948-1957
1953/00/00

Data »

Particulars for Patsy Cline Historic House:
Sight Category Building
Architectural Style Greek Revival
Level of Significance National
Area of Significance Performing Arts
Criteria Person
Owner Private
Historic Use Single dwelling



US National Registry of Historic Places Data »

Accurate at time of registration: 8th November 2005

PLACE DETAILS
Registry Name: Cline, Patsy, House
Registry Address: 608 S. Kent St.
Registry Number: 05001230
Resource Type: Building
Owner: Private
Architectural Style: Greek revival
Contributing Buildings: 1
Other Certification: Date received-pending nomination
Certification: Listed in the National Register
CULTURAL DETAILS
Level of Significance: National
Area of Significance: Performing arts
Applicable Criteria: Person
Criteria Consideration: Significance of less than fifty years
Significant Year: 1948, 1953
Associated People: Cline, Patsy
Historic Function: Domestic
Historic Sub-Function: Single dwelling
Current Function: Domestic
Current Sub-Function: Single dwelling

Activities »

Activity
Activity Category Tour

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