June 14, 2024

1 Book Talk & Signing: "War Fronts Home Fires" by Joseph McQuaid

2 Historic Preservation Awards

3 Now on Exhibit: Who Wore It? The Forensics of a Dress

4 Special Exhibit: Legacy of the Manchester Housing Authority

5 2023 Annual Report

6 In Memoriam: Marylou Ashooh Lazos

7 Manchester Trivia Questions

Book Talk & Signing:

War Fronts Home Fires by Joseph W. McQuaid

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

5:30 p.m.

Millyard Museum, FREE Admission

Join us next Tuesday for a special talk on "War Fronts Home Fires" by Joseph W. McQuaid, Editor at Large for the Union Leader. The book chronicles the lives of McQuaid’s parents during a pivotal time in history. As a World War II newspaper correspondent for the Chicago Daily News foreign service, B.J. McQuaid covered American and British front lines from the frozen Aleutian Islands of Alaska to the steaming jungles and seas of the South Pacific, at Tarawa and Guadalcanal, and then to Europe from D-Day forward in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. His stories were published in more than 70 newspapers.

Back in New Hampshire, Peg McQuaid watched for her husband’s news stories to track his whereabouts, and supported herself and their two small children while dealing with rationing, cold winters, and loneliness. 

The couple were together just once in three years of war. 

The book showcases his remarkable reporting and their touching love story.

2024 Historic Preservation Awards

The 32nd Annual Historic Preservation Awards, held on May 21 at Saint Anselm College, was a great event. Thank you to everyone who came and to all of our sponsors for making the event possible!

Our Amoskeag sponsor was RBC Wealth Management – The Boulanger Wealth Management Group and Stark sponsors were Eastern Bank, Elliot Health System, and St. Mary's Bank. Please click here to see the Program Book and a complete list of sponsors.

If you missed it, please click here to watch a video of the awards presentation, compliments of Manchester Public TV.

This year's event recognized the following award recipients for their contributions to the historic preservation of Manchester:

Neighborhood Preservation Award

NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire for the RENEW II Project at the Smith & Dow Block (1426 Elm St) and Carpenter & Bean Block (1382 Elm St)

Homeowner’s Award

Craig St. Pierre for the Clarence M. Dodge House, 278 Myrtle Street

Nostalgia Award

Brady Sullivan Properties for the replica of the “Lollipops” sculpture

Restoration of a City Landmark Award

Saint Joseph Cathedral, 145 Lowell Street

Private Development Award

Richard Dryer, Dryer Management Inc. for 901 Union Street

Design Award

Manchester Fire Department Station 9 (575 Calef Road) for incorporating historical elements related to Manchester firefighting

Congratulations to all the honorees!

Now on Exhibit:

"Who Wore It? The Forensics of a Dress"

This special exhibit features 200 years of dresses worn by amazing women from Manchester’s past. These matriarchs of Manchester lived incredible lives as entrepreneurs, philanthropists, doctors, teachers, activists, New Hampshire First Ladies, and homemakers.

Generously donated by loved ones and lovingly preserved by the Manchester Historic Association, these dresses tell the stories of the vibrant women who wore them. Bearing witness to the happiest and saddest moments in the lives of their owners, these dresses witnessed both unspeakable joy and unbearable pain and every emotion in-between.

As you travel though the history of fashion and evolution of design and fabrication, we ask that you imagine the memories these gowns might hold. Motherhood, careers, and the simple tasks of everyday life become immortal through every worn hem and altered seam.

On exhibit through November 1, 2024 

Special Exhibit:

Legacy of the Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority

The Manchester Historic Association is pleased to partner with the Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority on a special, temporary exhibit that recognizes

80 years of service and work that has shaped the City of Manchester.

Over the past eight decades, the work of the MHRA has touched nearly every neighborhood in the city, clearing unsanitary blight, building affordable housing, supporting veteran families with post-war housing, and facilitating funding for industrial and community projects. This exhibit features dozens of photographs from the archives of both the MHA and MRHA that tell the story of the Housing Authority's work and lasting impact on Manchester.

On exhibit in the Millyard Museum Discovery Gallery

2023 Annual Report

2023 Annual Report

The Manchester Historic Association's 2023 Annual Report is now available! Please click on the above link to view or download the report.  

Print copies of the report are also available at the front desks of the Millyard Museum and Research Center and can be mailed upon request.

We hope you enjoy reading about some of the highlights from the past year!

In Memoriam:

Marylou Ashooh Lazos

The Manchester Historic Association is deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend, Marylou Ashooh Lazos. Marylou served as a trustee of the Manchester Historic Association for the past four years, but her time with the MHA goes back over 40 years, having worked on staff for many years, including as curator of collections where she helped curate the opening of the Millyard Museum in 2001. Since then, she has volunteered countless hours cataloging and sorting the collections and chaired our Collections Committee. Her passing is a great loss to the MHA and she will be greatly missed.

Last Month's Trivia Question:

What building had the distinction of having the first indoor swimming pool in Manchester?

ANSWER:

The YMCA building on Mechanic Street, constructed in 1909. An article in the Manchester Union on September 13, 1909 reported that “perhaps the most interesting section of the building will be the basement where will be situated the swimming tank” in which the “water will be heated.”

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This Month's Trivia Question: At one time, Manchester had the largest number of French-speaking Roman Catholic parishes of any city in the United States. How many French language parishes were in Manchester and what were they?

The answer will appear in the next newsletter.