News from the Manchester Historic Association

Collect, Preserve, Share

Manchester

July 13, 2021

In This Issue

1 Preservation Awards to be held Sept. 8 at the Rex Theatre

2 MHA Names Four New Board Members

3 Millyard Walking Tour set for July 24

4 NH Heritage Museum Trail Passports Now Available

5 Pandora by Design Exhibit Open Through Aug. 31

6 Member of the Month: St. Mary's Bank CEO Ron Covey

7 Manchester Trivia Question

Historic Preservation Awards to be held September 8

Have you purchased your tickets for the 29^thAnnual Historic Preservation Awards?

The event will be held Sept. 8 from 5-8 p.m. at the re-imagined Rex Theatre, which was a recipient of a 2020 Preservation Award for Development of a Cultural Resource. In celebration of the MHA's 125th anniversary, the pre-event cocktail reception will be held at the Research Center at 129 Amherst Street.

Over the course of the previous 28 years, more than 230 recipients have been recognized for a wide variety of preservation efforts in 40 different categories. The annual event has become the MHA’s single largest fundraiser to support its non-profit mission of collecting, preserving and sharing the history of Manchester. This year, the event will recognize the following award recipients:

Community Leadership & Advocacy Award

The “Save the Chandler House” Initiative (pictured above)

Individual Achievement Award

Past MHA Board Chair and perennial HPA host Edward W. Brouder, Jr.

City Landmark Award

City of Manchester for the restoration of the Casimir Pulaski statue in Pulaski Park.

Homeowner’s Award

The McLaughlin Family; For restoration of their home at 176 Walnut Street

Adaptive Reuse Award

267 Wilson Street LLC (the former Hoitt Furniture building)

For sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets for the event, click here. For more information, call 603-622-7531.

MHA Names Four New Board Members

By way of a virtual annual meeting held on on April 27, members of the Manchester Historic Association voted to approve four new board members.They include:

Jeffery Myrdek, who is a lifelong resident of Manchester and was graduated from Manchester High School West. He has been a member of the MHA for several years and previously served on the board as a trustee for two terms and held the office of vice president.

Jen Drociak, who has served on the Manchester Conservation Commission and currently sits on the Manchester Heritage Commission. Since 2000, she has been involved the Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program, coordinating it since 2006.

Amanda Quinlan is a Litigation Associate at McLane Middleton in Manchester. She received her J.D. from Vermont Law School, where she graduated first in her class and was the recipient of the Learned Hand Award for Academic Excellence.

Dr. Benjamin Horton is Assistant Dean for First-Year Students and Academic Support Services as well as being a faculty member in the Humanities Department at Saint Anselm College. Ben is a life-long Manchester resident.

We welcome them to the MHA family!

Millyard Walking Tour Scheduled for July 24

The history of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company will take center stage when MHA Executive Director John Clayton (at right) offers a walking tour of the historic Millyard on Saturday, July 24.

The topics will include monumental events from Manchester's industrial past, including the 1831 founding of Amoskeag and the subsequent growth and development that made the company the largest textile manufacturer in the world.

Causes for the company's demise will be discussed, as will the current Renaissance that is making the Millyard a global hot spot for biotechnology.

The 90-minute tour will begin at 10:30 from the Millyard Museum. Admission is $10 for MHA members and $15 for yet-to-be members (and museum admission is included). Advance registration is required as the tour will be limited to 60 guests. Call 603-622-7531.

NH Heritage Museum Trail Passports Now Available

The New Hampshire Heritage Museum Trail has launched a Trail Passport Program which allows you to experience 18 different museums. Passports ($150 value) are available for purchase at each participating museum for only $25.

The Trail Passport provides buyers with one free admission ticket to 18 of the museums that are part of the museum trail.

The Passport is good for one person for one year from the date of purchase, and is non-transferable. The Passport includes brief summaries of the museums, organized by location and category that can be stamped upon entry.

The Millyard Museum is pleased to be taking part in this program! Passports can only be purchased at participating museums:

Albacore Park (Portsmouth), American Independence Museum (Exeter), Aviation Museum of NH (Manchester), Canterbury Shaker Village, Castle in the Clouds (Moultonborough), Currier Museum of Art (Manchester), Lake Winnipesaukee Museum (Laconia), Lee Scouting Museum (Manchester), Libby Museum (Wolfeboro), Millyard Museum (Manchester), Museum of the White Mountains (Plymouth), NH Boat Museum (Wolfeboro), NH Historical Society (Concord), Portsmouth Historical Society, Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm (Tamworth), Strawbery Banke (Portsmouth), Woodman Museum (Dover), and the Wright Museum of World War II (Wolfeboro).

Pandora Exhibit Continues Through August 31!

Pandora by Design: Sweaters from the Millyard

In the Henry M. Fuller State Theatre Gallery in the Millyard Museum

Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. - Included with museum admission

In 1940 Pandora Industries relocated to Manchester from New York City, and for the next several decades became one of the major employers of the Queen City with as many as 1,000 people working for the company. Pandora maintained itself as a major sweater and sportswear maker, making as many as 60,000 sweaters per week, and was one of the last textile manufacturers to operate in Manchester's Millyard.

This new exhibit at the Millyard Museum showcases a recently acquired collection of Pandora sweaters and designs as well as part of the iconic sign that stood atop the Pandora Mill building for approximately 50 years.

"Pandora by Design: Sweaters from the Millyard" will be on display in the Millyard Museum's State Theater Gallery through August 31, 2021

MHA Member of the Month:

St. Mary's Bank CEO Ron Covey

Manchester native Ron Covey has risen to the top at St. Mary's Bank, an institution that is indelibly tied to our community's history, and as such, he is very cognizant of that history.

His history with the MHA is deeply rooted as well, as evidenced by his service as Honorary Chair of the 2018 Historic Preservation Awards. Ron has also taken on leadership positions with a number of community organizations, and has served on the boards of the Manchester Boys & Girls Club, the Daniel Webster Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the American Credit Union Museum Foundation and the New Hampshire Union Leader.

"I support the Manchester Historic Association because it plays a vital role in protecting and preserving our historical records, and also showcasing many of our historical milestones," he explained. " Our support and contributions are essential in maintaining the quality of the Manchester Historic Association’s treasures and their ability to continue sharing our heritage with future generations."

Manchester Trivia Question

Do you know your Manchester history? Check back in the next newsletter for the answer to this question!

On November 27, 1928, the cheeky title of a lecture at the Manchester Shoe and Leather Continuation School was "The Last Shall be be First."

Question: Can you name the Manchester shoe manufacturer was that was once billed as "the largest single shoe factory in the whole United States?"

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Last Month's Trivia Question: In 1897, a prominent Manchester resident received U.S. Patent No. 589.578 for an invention he called a "Sausage Linking Machine" for "parting,linking or dividing a filled sausage casing into connected sausages of the desired length."

QUESTION: Who was the inventor of the "Sausage Linking Machine?"

ANSWER: Local hot dog baron William F. Schonland was the inventor. His namesake company produced more than 40,000 pounds of processed meats every week

The Manchester Historic Association is an independent tax-exempt charitable 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization with the mission to collect, preserve and share the history of Manchester, New Hampshire USA. The Association operates the Millyard Museum and Research Center.