Manchester Historical Society
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Manchester trivia! Can you answer this question?
What is the name of a section of town, laid out by E.J. Holl, 1874-1967, real estate developer, who was born in England and used British names for some streets in his developments, such as Scarborough, Wellington.
The answer is in a block below; scroll way down. Before you look, though, here's a hint: A California location with the same name is associated with movies.
Photo on right
, entrepreneur E. J. Holl.
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Time to jot down your thoughts about and experiences during the pandemic!
Be a part of history in the making.
The Historical Society will have a complete book for our archives, replete with stories that you contribute.
"It takes time to put current events in context, and that will certainly be the case with the pandemic we are living through, but even now, in the middle of it, we know this is a big, big deal -- for Manchester, for our state and nation, for the world.
" -- Jim Farrell
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Writers wanted...
The editor of our school's e-newsletter,
One Manchester, Jim Farrell says, "We are asking people who live or work in Manchester to contribute their own accounts that will serve forever as part of the local historical record about the coronavirus." Jim's calling upon us to write a 300-800 word essay, and if it's published in the newsletter, it will also be printed in a hard-bound book to be donated to the Manchester Historical Society and displayed at our museum.
YOUR OPPORTUNITY!
Don't delay!
"We are looking for different points of view. Examples:
- A college student who's been sent home might write about the surprising appeal of distance learning.
- A waitress who is temporarily unemployed might write about using the down time to learn to cook like a pro.
- A sidelined salesman now working part-time from home decides to do some long overdue home renovation project."
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"We don't know what people might care to share but are open to anything, although we have some guidelines: There is no compensation and anything you submit can be edited for length, style, etc., but it won't be printed until and unless the writer is happy with the final version
Decisions on what to include will be made by Jim Farrell, communications director of the school district. Simply submit your contribution to
b11jfarr@mpspride.org."
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Besides writing that essay and reading history books...
...you can watch a 2017 interview with Bob Gorman -- a 56-minute television show featuring Manchester resident Bob Gorman telling of his early life in Manchester, the Gorman family's history, and interesting tales from his 94 years of living in the Manchester area. A World War II veteran, Niagara College graduate, and early entrepreneur as a
Manchester Herald paperboy, Bob relates stories of the past with humor and gusto. You can watch this show on the Public Access website
"94 Years of Manchester Memories."
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Bob was born at Mrs. Howe's Maternity Home, located at 52 Wadsworth Street, Manchester. The building is still there. Read more about Mrs. Howe's establishment in
this illustrated story.
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And check out our
other maps, including street maps, panoramic maps, topo, and railroad maps.
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Maps and more maps
Check out various
Manchester maps on our website.
On the left, map showing some of the streets in the Depot area of the North End in a 1946 map, such as Beehive Street and Mintz Court. Click the image to see a larger version of the map.
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Recent Facebook post
Our Facebook page recently pointed out the online
Historic and Architectural Surveys
, available on our website, where viewers can look up historic buildings. The example on the right is 53-55 Hudson Street, built circa 1876. The surveys were conducted by consultants who researched samplings of houses of various styles in various neighborhoods.
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Keep up with history despite cancellation of events!
You can learn more about local history right from your home computer or mobile device! Of course,
our website is rich in Manchester info, including town directories, high school yearbooks, etc.
But also, consider
signing up for "Today in Connecticut History," a free e-newsletter by Walt Woodward, State Historian. The April 9 entry: "Today in 1910, Abraham Alexander Ribicoff was born in a New Britain tenement house to Ashkenazi Jewish parents who had immigrated to Connecticut from Poland. He would spend nearly 50 years in public service. The highlight of that half century of service was when he overcame entrenched anti-Semitism to become the state’s first governor of Jewish faith." More from Walt's email about
Abe Ribicoff.
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Click the image above to sign up for free daily e-mails. There's also a weekly
trivia challenge to test your knowledge of Connecticut history.
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Crossword puzzles --
Want to try
a new crossword
puzzle? Test your knowledge of Manchester history! Hint, the 7-letter answer for 1 Down (Amby in the Sports Hall of Fame) ran the Manchester Thanksgiving Day Road Race many times.
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Most of the answers are on our website! Say, would you like to contribute to the next crossword puzzle? Not too hard! But not too easy! Reply to this email or contact the
Town Historian.
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April TV show --
The lecture, "The Terrible Flu in Manchester, 1918" -- was filmed at the History Center in April 2018, on the hundredth anniversary of the influenza epidemic of 1918. You can watch the show on the Public Access website
"1918 Influenza" TV Show on Public Access TV.
Former State Senator Mary Ann Handley presented this informative talk. A retired Manchester Community College history professor, Mary Ann conducted research on this topic, and at the lecture established a foundation for understanding the medical and statistical aspects of the flu, as well as typical death-rates versus flu death-rates of this time in American and local history. She included information about Manchester's response to the flu. Town troubadour, Bill Ludwig, sang vintage music. 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.
Unfortunately, the cable studio and equipment is unavailable through the end of May, so we will not be able to make new TV shows for a while.
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Photo above:
Cheney Hall, which served as a hospital in 1918, with cots for those stricken with the flu.
Photo below: Manchester Memorial Hospital, built after the flu epidemic. Click the image for a
1924 booklet about the hospital.
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You can watch more of our history TV shows online by selecting "Manchester Program Schedule" (the second gray tab) on the
local Public Access website -- then on the next screen, type
Historical into the search box.
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Answer to the Manchester trivia question:
HOLLYWOOD is the name of the section of town, laid out by E.J. Holl, 1874-1967, real estate developer, who was born in England and used British names for some streets in his developments, such as Scarborough, Wellington.
Image on right
, ad in the 1926 Manchester High School yearbook. Read more about
Hollywood
on our website.
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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. .
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Although all our facilities are closed through April 30, we are listing the regular hours in anticipation of the end of the pandemic: The History Center, 175 Pine Street, open Tuesday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., except holidays. • The Cheney Homestead, 106 Hartford Road, generally open the second Sunday of the month 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and on special occasions • The Old Manchester Museum, 126 Cedar Street, open the first Saturday of the month from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.; closed January through April, reopening in May. • The Woodbridge Farmstead grounds and barn, 495 East Middle Turnpike, at Manchester Green, open the second and fourth Sundays, noon to 2:00 p.m. May to October.
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