Manchester Historical Society
Volunteers needed on Tuesday!
Help us paint at the The History Center, 175 Pine Street.
Ed Burzawa invites you to a painting party on Tuesday, August 24 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ed says, "We will be painting in the second room of the History Center, our new exhibit space. All skill levels and abilities are welcome. RSVP to me at 860-306-8894. Pizza and refreshments will be provided. Thank you in advance."
Manchester quiz. Can you answer these questions?
What is this large object and where is it located? Whom does it memorialize? Extra credit: In what year was it installed and dedicated?
Hint: If you have been subscribing to this e-newsletter since at least June of this year, you have seen publicity about an event celebrating its anniversary.
Scroll down for answers.
JIGSAW PUZZLE
Click the image on the left to try the puzzle.
1923 photo of Case paper mill employees. For a larger view: Case employees.
You are invited
Click the invitation on the right for a larger view.
The Manchester Sculpture Project is raising funds for the Miss Elisabeth Bennet statue, which will be located at Bennet Academy. All welcome to this outdoor event in Coventry.
Our open house schedule.
SPECIAL MUSIC & PRESENTATION on Sunday, August 22.
Woodbridge Farmstead, the Town Historian will present "Summer in Manchester's Past," at 12:30. Vintage summer music by Sandra Johnson and Dan Thompson. The open house, with tours of the barn and gardens, is from noon to 2:00 p.m. Woodbridge committee chair Peggy Newton says, "We welcome you to visit, noon to 2:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the summer months. Fun and games always on our schedule. Work on our new barn is supposed to start in August, so you can check it out as we build our new welcome center and museum display area." The Farmstead is located at 495 East Middle Turnpike. Park on the street or at the nearby Senior Center.

Saturday, September 4. Old Manchester Museum is 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, September 12. Cheney Homestead open the second Sunday of the month, 1:00 to 4:00, hosted by Peter Millett and the Homestead committee. The 1785 Homestead & Keeney Schoolhouse are located at 106 Hartford Road. Tour the house and gardens. Free, donations welcome.

The History Center is still under construction, but the museum store and offices are open Tuesday through Friday 10:00 to 2:00. The center is located in the former Cheney machine shop, 175 Pine Street.
75 years ago in the Manchester Herald
Tidbits from the August 22, 1946 edition of The Herald. • A laundry for Venetian blinds, with pick up and delivery, and • Field trials for dog competitions plus archery at the Talcottville Flats (Route 83, on the way to Vernon).

Peruse the entire 8/22/1946 edition here.
Browse all The Heralds here.
August TV show airs at noon and 8:00 p.m. Saturdays throughout this month --"Growing up Around Highland Park,” a 55-minute television show of a conversation among old friends who roamed the woods and ponds of the Highland Park section of Manchester in the 1960s and 1970s, before the construction of I-384. Mason Thrall, Wes Vancour, and Ken Russell reminisce about fishing, swimming, and occasionally getting into trouble. 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. The television show is produced by Susan Barlow, directed by Kathryn Wilson, researched by Jill Gelinas, all volunteers of the Manchester Historical Society. You can watch this month's show right on your computer through the Public Access website: "Growing Up Around Highland Park." 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, so we will not be able to make new TV shows for a while.
Find us on Facebook!
For frequent photos and tidbits, check out our Facebook page.
Art classes
Ongoing and new offerings. Info: art classes at the History Center. Questions may be directed to Trudy Mitchell. ONGOING: Classical Drawing -- "Learn the art and science of accurate drawing based on traditional 19th-century methods." Six-week sessions on Saturdays from 9:30-12:30.
New classes have been added for children and adults.
Pictured on right, art studio, lower level of History Center, a 42,000-square-foot building that used to be the Cheney Machine Shop, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Center was built beginning in 1895, although this part of the building dates to the early 20th century.
Counting down to Manchester's 200th anniversary year, which begins January 1, 2023: 499 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.
To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: 1930s Vaccinations Versus the Current COVID protocol
By Art Reichenbach
In the mid-1930s, as a first grader at Washington School, I faced an ultimatum. My parents had rejected the school’s request for a smallpox vaccination (they had lost my oldest brother in the flu epidemic in 1919). One day, the town doctor and public nurse walked into our classroom and ordered about five of us to line up against the wall. All of us, having evaded the vaccine in kindergarten, were about to be vaccinated. Rolling up the sleeve of my polo shirt, the nurse cleaned an area with alcohol before the doctor stuck me with a needle. With a plaster (band-aid) on my wound I returned home with a note saying that the area should not be washed for a week and to keep the site clean. My parents were not pleased, to say the least.

Later in the same grade, the same doctor (Burr?) and his white-uniformed assistant appeared. This time the whole class was ordered to line up against the wall. Seated in a chair, the nurse pulled out a bottle and a spoon, while the doctor told us that we were getting a dose of cod liver oil for good health. One by one, we stepped forward as the nurse poured the elixir into a spoon, and, while the doctor held our heads firmly, she administered the oil to each opened mouth with the same spoon. This potion stuck to the roof of your mouth and tongue with a horrid taste. An unforgettable experience for a first grader. But this was not a one-time event. Weeks later the duo appeared again with the same purpose. However, the doctor explained that, due to complaints, the cod liver oil had been replaced with halibut liver oil, a less abhorrent liquid. And, like good six-year-olds, we took our medicine bravely. Fortunately, upon returning to our seats, we found on our desks a Ritz cracker and a half-pint paper carton of chocolate milk from a local dairy. All in all, this was not so bad a learning experience and luckily for me no parental approval was required.
Answers to questions above

Pictured on right in Center Memorial Park: the July 4 celebration of the 100th anniversary of the installation of the D.A.R. fountain, which memorializes veterans of the Revolutionary War.

More info: drinking fountain.
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.
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. .