Manchester quiz.

Whereabouts was this photo taken? Extra credit: Who's the photographer? Hint: Part of the building is still there.

Saturday, December 4. Old Manchester Museum -- open the first Saturday of the month, 10:00 to 2:00, hosted by Bob Kanehl and Art Pongratz, who can help you with some research, using our collection of town directories. Located at 126 Cedar Street, the former schoolhouse's exhibits include copies of old maps, examples of Cheney silk, Pitkin glass, Spencer rifles, Case water-bottling works items. Museum open May to December. There is a small museum store with local history items: books, maps, Pitkin jewelry items, etc.

Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 p.m., a lecture on the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Manchester's reaction to the U.S. entrance into World War II. Former State Senator Mary Ann Handley will present this informative talk. A retired Manchester Community College history professor, Mary Ann has conducted research on this topic, and at the lecture will establish a foundation for understanding the conflicts and issues of this period in American and local history. Musicians Sandy Johnson and Dan Thompson will present music from the World War II era. At the History Center, 175 Pine Street. The public is invited. Parking for the lecture is available along Pleasant Street, off Forest Street (no on-street parking) as well as in a small lot next to the History Center. $5 for non-members, $3 for Society members, and free for children under age 16.

106 Hartford Road, Manchester, $5 suggested donation.

• Saturday, December 4 from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. (Note: last week's e-news listed incorrect hours; the correct hours are 11:00 to 3:00) Open house, with holiday decor by the Manchester Garden Club, hosted by Peter Millett and the Homestead Committee. Come for 10 minutes or 3 hours. Kick off the holidays with old-fashioned charm.

• Friday, December 10 at 6:00 p.m., fireside reading of Dickens’s 1842 “A Christmas Carol” with holiday decor by the Manchester Garden Club. We'll read an abridged version used by Dickens in his public readings. Because of the intimate nature of this special event, it is requested that visitors be vaccinated and wear masks.

• Sunday, December 12 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., our regular second Sunday Open House. Tour this historic property, including grounds and gardens, and the Homestead Art Gallery where you will be inspired by Manchester's rich history in art. The 1785 Homestead was donated to the Manchester Historical Society by the Cheney family in 1968 for use as a house museum. Guided tours include history of the Homestead and its contents, and of the family who lived there. As with many New England homesteads, the house is built into a hill, with doors opening out to the yard on both the upper and lower levels. For old photos and history of the Homestead on this website, visit Cheney Homestead history. We plan Open Houses generally on the second Sunday of the month.

• Mead workshop on Sunday, December 12 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. A special holiday fundraiser ($35) -- our own brew-master, Anita Hawkins, will provide materials and ingredients and guide you through the process. You will take home a bottle of the honey wine to improve with age. Cooking will take place outside over an open fire, with other preparations inside. Masks and warm clothing are both needed. Limited to 8 participants, so register soon with Pete Millett. Make checks payable to Manchester Historical Society, with "Mead" in the memo line.

Holidays past

Educator and artist Hazel Lutz made this card in the 1940s. Read more about Miss Lutz on our website. In 1980, when the museum was at 126 Cedar Street, near Washington School, over 200 spectators came to the museum grounds for Be Kind To Animals Day. An illustrated article is on the first left-hand page of this edition of The Herald.

Connecticut's State Historian presents this trivia quiz. You can also sign up for his free e-newsletter.

The History Center welcomes visitors to its museum store with books, notecards, maps, Kage company plastic decorations ($3.00 each), copies of vintage maps, From Your Neighbor's Kitchen cookbooks, etc. You can also check out the CBT exhibit through December 22. Former CBT employees especially welcome. At one time, CBT had 8,000 employees. The bank dates back to 1792. Open Tuesday through Friday 10:00 to 2:00. The center is located in the former Cheney machine shop, 175 Pine Street. Exhibit construction is ongoing -- watch for a grand opening soon.

80 years ago in The Manchester Evening Herald

Lots going on in the "Date Book." And ads for rebuilt shoes, antiques, etc. See the whole edition: Herald 12/03/1941. To peruse all our Heralds, see: Index of Heralds.

Downtown in the snow. Circa 1920 photo by John Knoll. See larger image here.

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You can visit the "Mansion Boutique" on the front porch of the Charles Cheney Mansion, 131 Hartford Road, Manchester. Jewelry, collectibles, soaps, candles, works by local artists, pillows, ornaments. Some Covid restrictions apply: Social distancing with separate entrance / exit. Saturday, December 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, December 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Hosted by Laura Reichelt.

Counting down to Manchester's 200th anniversary year, which begins January 1, 2023: 387 days.

The Manchester Historical Society is planning exciting activities for the Town's year-long bicentennial celebration. Check out the activities of the 1923 celebration, documented in this booklet on our website.

The cabin at Upper Case Pond, photographed by John Knoll (1887-1955). It's located along the Carriage Path, accessible from the Town parking lot on Birch Mountain Road (near the intersection with Camp Meeting Road) and from the Spring Street side as well. Not visible from the road. The Town of Manchester bought the former summer house and adjacent two acres in 2006. Read more about the Highland Park area.

Enjoy the large collection of Somanhis (South Manchester High School) yearbooks on our website. In addition to photos of the graduating seniors, these books have ads for local businesses, photos of school activities, and sometimes poetry and prose by the students. Thanking our volunteers, especially Bob Gauthier, Noreen Cullen, Jim Hall, Joshua Pruden, Dick Jenkins, Susan Barlow.

Kids and adults -- ongoing and new offerings. Info: art classes at the History Center. Questions may be directed to Trudy Mitchell.

December TV show airs at noon and 8:00 p.m. Saturdays throughout this month --"Joe McCluskey Statue Dedication," a 52-minute television show recorded on November 10, 2019, at the unveiling of the sculpture of Joe McCluskey, Manchester runner and Olympic steeplechase champion, with speeches by the sculptor, Joe's family, Mayor Moran, and members of the Road Race committee. Town Troubadour Bill Ludwig and friends sang an original song about Joe. The show airs at 12:00 noon and 8:00 p.m. on Cox cable channel 15 on Saturdays, and runs on all the Saturdays of the month. The show changes each month. This Channel 15 broadcasts in Manchester, Glastonbury, South Windsor, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, and Newington. Some previous local-history shows can be borrowed at Mary Cheney Library, or purchased at the Historical Society Museum Store. The television show is produced volunteers of the Manchester Historical Society. You can watch some of our previous television shows online at the Town website Historical shows on demand. You can watch this month's show on the Public Access website "Statue Dedication" TV Show on Public Access TV.You can watch some of our previous shows by selecting "Manchester Program Schedule" (the second tab) on the local Public Access website and on the next screen, type Historical into the search box.

Consider a gift membership for a friend or loved one. Why join a local historical society, even if you don't live in that town? Some reasons: • support education about the history of the town • support preservation of artifacts and vintage photos • join in advocating for preservation of historic buildings and parks that make Manchester charming.

Print this online donation form and mail to 175 Pine Street. Or drop by the History Center, Tuesdays through Fridays from 10:00 to 2:00. Direct questions to 860-647-9983.

Additional ways to donate: Employer matching gifts! Direct United Way donations to the Society. Sign in to Amazon via Amazon Smile and have a percentage of your purchases go to the Society. .