Manchester quiz.

Extra credit: Who donated it to the Manchester Historical Society (hint: he wrote "A New England Pattern," the 1973 history of Manchester)?

Hint: This is part of our "Then and Now" exhibit -- you can see the framed display case around the edge of the photo. So if you have visited the exhibit, you have seen this.

Did you notice the 1958 Herald help-wanted ad for a clerk at Miller's Pharmacy? Former neighbor Dave Ware, mentioned: "The ad seeking an employee for Miller Pharmacy brought a smile to my face. The pharmacy was immediately next door to the house I grew up in, and where my dad still lives. The building is still there, and it is now a liquor store. I remember the Millers – Max and Sylvia – and I remember that the store was a 'Rexall' franchise store. It had an old-fashioned soda fountain, where I enjoyed many a cherry coke! Having the store right next door was a real convenience for our family. We never had to go far for prescriptions, over-the-counter products, birthday cards, or many other items." 

Here's the text of the 1/13/1958 ad: "Help Wanted -- Male. Cheerful modern drug store requires young man as clerk, full time. Excellent opportunity. Experience preferred, must have driver's license. Miller Pharmacy, 299 Green Road."

1961 photo, above left, by Ken Burkamp.

Open Wednesday through Friday 10:00 to 2:00, and Saturdays 12:00 noon to 4:00. The exhibit tells the story of Manchester's past as it relates to the future. Photos, artifacts, stories! While you're here, peruse other displays, including vintage signs from former businesses in town.

Museum store, pictured at right: Browse and buy: Local-history books, maps, t-shirts, coffee mugs, magnets, Herald cookbooks, Kage Company plastic décor, note-cards, etc.

Bill Green (1896-1983) had a shop at 180 Spruce Street where he repaired bicycles, sold accessories, and in the early days of the shop he sold gasoline (see photo at right; for a larger view click here.) Read a story by Dick Jenkins about Bill Green and his shop.

Open House at the Cheney Homestead

Sunday, February 12 from 1:00 to 4:00.

Experience Early American lifestyle -- the 1785 homestead with period furnishings as the people experienced life at the time. The house is staged, on the first floor, in 1818. The second floor reflects 1840, with two new exhibit rooms: • "Women of the Cheney Family," and • "Ingenuity and Industry" of the Cheney family, including a re-creation of Timothy Cheney’s 17th-century wooden clock-making workbench. A $5 donation is appreciated for upkeep of the 1785 Homestead and 1751 Keeney Schoolhouse museums. The Homestead is located at 106 Hartford Road. Come for 10 minutes or stay for hours. A $5 donation is requested for the upkeep of the Homestead.

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Kickoff the bicentennial on Wednesday, January 25 at 12:30 at the Town Hall with a "launch party." And our online booklet: 23 hikes for 2023 -- hikes are free and open to the public. Boost your knowledge of Manchester's beginnings as a town -- read about the incorporation in this 1823 Courant; see top of left-most column, page one.

Upcoming events of interest to history buffs and area residents

You can watch this month's show right now by clicking Current TV Program on Manchester Public Access. If you live in the Manchester area, you can watch it on TV, but why not just click and watch now? On TV, the show airs at noon and 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays throughout this month. In this month's show,"Buckland Times” features Susan Way, now of Coventry, as she tells about the research and interviews that went into the creation of a home-town newsletter she published from 1992 to 1998. The newsletters are available on our website. The 60-minute program was originally presented to the Historical Society's genealogy group in 2015. The show airs 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 was produced by Susan Barlow and directed by Kathryn Wilson, volunteers of the Manchester Historical Society. As stated above, you can watch this month's show right now or any time on the Public Access website, by clicking here Current TV Program on Manchester Public Access.

80 years ago in The Manchester Herald

The January 20, 1943 Herald contained these items. There was war-time rationing of gasoline and tires. And residents were urged to buy war bonds. See the whole edition: January 20, 1943 Herald, or to peruse all our Heralds, see: Index of Heralds.

Above, the Governor requested war-time austerity measures, including closing stores on Mondays.

Enjoy the large collection of Somanhis (South Manchester High School) and junior high 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.

This set of woolen underwear, or long johns, was made at the Glastonbury Knitting Company at Manchester Green, which operated from 1880 to 1931. The building is still there, along East Middle Turnpike, near the Woodbridge Farmstead. The mill has housed many other businesses over the years -- furniture and shoe stores, a bookshop -- and now it's in the process of being converted to senior housing. William Buckley, who lived at Manchester Green, donated the knitted items to the Historical Society. According to Mr. Buckley's A New England Pattern, "The Pacific Mill at the Green, after a bankruptcy, a fire, and a period of operation as the Seamless Hosiery Company, was bought by Addison Clark, owner of the Glastonbury Knitting Mills in Glastonbury, and was merged with that company. After Mr. Clark's death, Hewitt Coburn bought control and the company operated successfully for many years...with a high reputation for quality." More about Manchester Green.

Note about long johns: The term long johns is singular and plural, and the proper name John is not capitalized in the term. A union suit is long underwear that is all of one piece.

The Homestead at 106 Hartford Road, Manchester, was donated to the Manchester Historical Society by the Cheney family in 1968 for use as a house museum. It's usually open to the public on the second Sunday of the month and for special programs at other times throughout the year. For old photos and history of the Homestead, built in 1785, visit Cheney Homestead history. The replica Keeney Schoolhouse is on the grounds of the Homestead. Originally built in 1751, the schoolhouse had deteriorated so much that new materials had to be incorporated in the 1976 reconstruction.

The History Center at 175 Pine Street, Manchester, was purchased in 1999. Our offices and many collections are in this building, which is the former Cheney Brothers Machine Shop, a 40,000-square-foot building constructed in several phases beginning in 1895. For the current exhibit, it's open Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 to 2:00, and Saturday noon to 4:00. Visit: photo tour of lower level of History Center.

The Old Manchester Museum at 126 Cedar Street, Manchester, is owned by the Town of Manchester, and the Society has rented it since the 1980s. We store collections there, and open it to the public on the first Saturday of the month, May through December from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., staffed by hosts Art Pongratz and Bob Kanehl. The building was formerly a school, built in 1859, and moved to this location in 1914. More: Old Manchester Museum.

Woodbridge Farmstead at 495 East Middle Turnpike, at Manchester Green, is a charming combination of vintage buildings and a bucolic landscape. The farmhouse dates from 1830. The Woodbridge Farm and Meadowbrook Dairy once encompassed many acres at Manchester Green. Today, the house and grounds are owned by the Manchester Historical Society – a gift from the late Raymond and Thelma Carr Woodbridge, who gave the property in 1998, reserving a life use. Weather permitting, the farmstead is open for free tours and programs generally on the second and fourth Sundays of the warmer months, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. Closed for the season.

Silk Vault Building at 110 Elm Street, Manchester, was purchased by the Society in 2017. A unique building, constructed in 1920. More: Silk Vault. The vault is rented out, and isn't open to the public.

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. .