A highway marker to commemorate the life of country music legend Patsy Cline has been approved for placement at her childhood home in Winchester. Fourteen markers were approved on June 1 by the Department of Historic Resources to highlight aspects of the history of the Commonwealth.

The program, which began in 1927 and is one of the oldest in the country, has approved more than 2,000 markers throughout the state, said Scott Arnold, program manager for six years. Two years ago, he tried to contact someone in Winchester to get the ball rolling for a marker here, but he said he could find no one interested at that time.

In March of this year, Phillip Martin, president of the area Celebrating Patsy Cline organization, pursued the matter and worked with Arnold to make the marker a reality.

It will be placed at 608 S. Kent St., Cline's childhood home and will be dedicated on Sept. 3.

A marker will be placed at this house at 608 South Kent St. in Winchester
to designate its most famous former resident,
the late country and western singing legend Patsy Cline.
[Photograph by Ginger Perry]

The Virginia Department of Transportation will place the marker and maintain it, Arnold said. The cost is $1,350 for casting and delivery and is paid for by sponsors, not by state funding.

"The role Patsy Cline has played in country music is so important," Arnold said. "The marker program is seeking diversity and figures from the 20th-century."

Criteria for selection include a national or state-wide prominence and significance with a span of more than 50 years, Arnold said. He describes the procedure as a process of writing and researching the material for the marker, which then goes through a committee for approval. VDOT must confirm the site and make sure it is a safe spot for travelers to stop.

Presently, there are about 10 markers in Winchester, about 26 in Frederick County, and approximately 39 in Clarke County, Arnold said.

And the Celebrating Patsy Cline group is excited to add one more, Martin said. So far, the group has 24 sponsors whose names will be added to a plaque placed inside the house and in the museum, included in the future plans of the group.

"This is a huge step forward," Martin said. "It gives credibility to the whole cause of the organization in promoting Patsy Cline." He also sees it as a very long overdue project that will be great for the city as far as adding to economic development and tourism.

The public is invited to the unveiling at 3 p.m. Sept. 3 at 608 S. Kent St. Sponsors, donating $100 or more, may attend a reception following the dedication, Martin said.

The copy for the highway marker about Patsy Cline was developed by a committee of the area organization, Celebrating Patsy Cline.

Dr. Douglas Gomery of the University of Maryland has been hired by the group to compile oral histories with area residents recalling stories about the country music legend. Gomery was in charge of the committee writing the text for the marker with input from other members of the group.

The marker will read as follows:

"Patsy Cline (Virginia Patterson Hensley), world-famous singer, lived in this house. She was born in Winchester Memorial Hospital on 8 Sept. 1932. On 21 Jan. 1957 she won Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts national television show's competition singing Walkin' After Midnight. In 1961 I Fall to Pieces became a hit. Her iconic Crazy was released a year later. Her haunting voice took her to the top of the charts, and her style and popularity have never waned. She died in an airplane crash on 5 Mar. 1963 in Camden, Tennessee. In 1973, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Cline is interred at nearby Shenandoah Memorial Park."

For more information about Celebrating Patsy Cline -- www.celebratingpatsycline.org or call 1-888-608-2726.