A new book detailing the history of Winchester’s African-American community is finally finished and ready to be delivered.

For three years, volunteers have been working to compile a history of the community. The first official shipment of “African American Pictorial History of Clark County” arrived last week. All told, it contains 144 pages with some history and a whole lot of pictures.

“It’s awesome,” Winchester Black History and Heritage Committee President Joyce Morton said of the finished product.

The committee started working on the book in 2014 by asking for photos from the community, she said. Last year, they sought the help of Sandy Stults at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum, local historian Harry Enoch and others to bring the book to life. There were weekly meetings at the museum to scan photographs and gather information.

“It was such an awesome, awesome experience to learn about our people in Winchester,” Morton said.

A couple proof copies have been circulating in town prior to the final printing, and the response has been good.

“One of the ladies closed the book and said, ‘This is our story,’” Morton said. “It got people interested. We are a part of Winchester.”

Sections of the book cover a number of aspects of life including academics, health care, sports, business and others.

James Robinson, who is distributing the books, said he learned a lot from the information gathered.

“I was into the sport part of it,” he said, “back to when my father played with the Winchester Poynterville Pirates, a semi-pro team. I learned quite a bit.”

Morton said copies will eventually be available at the museum. Immediately, they are available from Robinson at $30 each, or $35 including shipping. To order a copy, call Robinson at 771-3029.