The Manchester Historical Society, founded in 1897, has assembled a representative selection of photographs from its collection to illustrate the various aspects of life in Manchester from the 1860s to the 1930s.
Title: 'Manchester, ' the book, honors the town's 250th
Author: Zeke Wright
Publisher: Benninton Banner
Date: 7/3/2011 Sunday July 3, 2011
MANCHESTER -- The history of Manchester is the focus in the latest
of Arcadia Publishing's series "Images of America." "Manchester,"
due out July 25 and coinciding with the town's 250th anniversary,
features more than 200 vintage images culled from the Manchester
Historical Society archives, housed in the Mark Skinner Library.
That library's namesake, Mark Skinner, is one of many local
notables included in the forthcoming title. So too are past
industry barons and Mary Todd Lincoln, who visited the Equinox with
her two sons during the Civil War. Son Robert Todd Lincoln would
later build his Georgian Revival mansion, now the Hildene estate,
in Manchester in 1905. "Manchester" focuses especially on history
between the years 1860-1940, according to Judith A. Harwood,
curator of the historical society. Harwood, along with fellow
historical society members Frederica Templeton, Susanne Washburn,
and William C. Badger, spent six months combing through the
archives selecting material for the book. Their work was made
easier by the previous organization of archival photographs by late
former curator Mary Bort, who headed the historical society for
more 25 years. "I said, 'Let's not reinvent anything, '" said
Harwood. Historical society volunteers chose several topics to work
with and divided the chapters based upon the groupings previously
established by Bort. Separate chapters cover the village, center,
and the depot; houses of worship; schools; clubs and organizations;
businesses and industries; and noteworthy people. "(Readers) will
find out about different parts of town, the different villages,"
said Harwood. "People will learn about the trains. ... They'll also
learn about some of the early people in Manchester." During the
early days of the town's settlement, for instance, Harwood said
that residents assumed a variety of roles out of necessity due to a
sparse population at the time. "There were so few early people,
that people were the postmaster (and) the Manchester Journal
publisher, (and) they may have been a dentist for a year," she
said. The cover of "Manchester," a 1921 advertising photograph
welcoming visitors to town, features Harwood's own grandparents and
mother, Laura Jean Lathrop, then a young girl. "Manchester" maps
out the historical footprint of today's community, delineating
between the village and its "commodious cottages," the
manufacturing center previously known as Factory Point and now
known as Manchester Center, and the depot area anchored by its
all-important railway connection. Harwood said that the book would
appeal to a diverse crowd ranging from those who have long studied
local history to the young children discovering it in their
classrooms today. "Anybody interested in Manchester, the history of
Manchester, be they year-round residents or summer residents," said
Harwood, describing the book's audience. She said that the
Manchester school system taught local history in the third grade.
"These kids just sit there and they're fascinated because it really
happened here," she said. "So that's one thing the book will do
too." The town of Manchester celebrates their 250th anniversary
with a slate of activities in August. Through the month of August
at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, the Manchester Historical
Society will display a 15-piece exhibit of additional photos and
documents from their archives, not seen in the new release.
"Manchester" becomes available July 25 at area bookstores,
independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia
Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or 888-313-2665. Contact
Zeke Wright at ewright@benningtonbanner.com.
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