Manchester Historical Society
Manchester quiz.
Can you answer these questions?

Whereabouts was this photo taken? Name the building. Super extra credit: Architect's name?

Scroll down for answers.
Holidays past
Herb and Mae Swanson's Christmas cards
Another fun and artistic card from Herb and Mae Swanson. They lived with their two children at 233 South Main Street. Herb designed and printed these unique cards each year.
MUSEUM STORE -- shop for local history items.
The History Center welcomes visitors to its museum store, which has books, notecards, maps, Kage company plastic decorations ($3.00 each), copies of vintage maps, From Your Neighbor's Kitchen cookbooks, Pitkin Glass jewelry, coffee mugs, tree ornaments, etc. NEW in the store: The Bronze Sculpture Committee is selling notecards at $19 a packet of 6. The cards feature photos of the Joe McCluskey statue, on Highland Street across from the Highland Park Market. The Committee is fundraising for its next statue.

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.
Opening reception for our new exhibit
The Manchester Historical Society received a $4999 grant from Connecticut Humanities (CTH) to create a “Manchester Then and Now,” exhibit, showcasing the history of Manchester from pre-Colonial times to the present. The exhibit opens to the public on Saturday, January 15, from 1:00 to 4:00 at the Manchester History Center, 175 Pine Street, Manchester. Free admission, and all are welcome.
“Manchester Then and Now” illustrates Manchester’s many contributions to the arts and industry, and tells the story of how people from around the globe and from diverse backgrounds came to call Manchester home. The exhibit displays artifacts and images that connect Manchester’s past to its present through activities and experiences shared throughout the town’s history. The goal of this exhibit is to illustrate how Manchester’s past relates to the present day. Visitors will be invited to consider how today's choices can shape the future.
At the Homestead
106 Hartford Road, Manchester, $5 suggested donation.
• Sunday, January 9 open house 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.
85 years ago in The Manchester Evening Herald
Catch up on 1936 Manchester. Holiday events include a concert, dinner, New Year's Eve dance, and mid-year high school graduation. See the whole edition: Herald 12/16/1936. To peruse all our Heralds, see: Index of Heralds.
Find us on Facebook!
For frequent photos and tidbits, check out our Facebook page.
JIGSAW PUZZLE
Click the image on the left to try the puzzle.
Contemporary view of the historic Army & Navy Club, Main Street at the corner of Forest Street. See larger image here.
Counting down to Manchester's 200th anniversary year, which begins January 1, 2023: 380 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.
Answers to quiz
The old Manchester High school is located Downtown, on the south end of Main Street. Architect was the successor firm to H. H. Richardson. Read more: the old Manchester High School, also known formerly as South Manchester High School (SoManHiS).
High school yearbooks
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.
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.
Unfortunately, during the pandemic, the cable TV studio and equipment are unavailable to the public, so we will not be able to make new TV shows for a while.
Art classes
Kids and adults -- ongoing and new offerings. Info: art classes at the History Center. Questions may be directed to Trudy Mitchell.
Membership for yourself or --
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. .