Old Manchester, Vermont, Maps
Presented in collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning
Join Manchester Historical Society Curator Shawn Harrington for an engaging evening looking at the old maps of Manchester. From 1856 to 1869 and into the early 1900s, what can we learn from these maps? How do we read them? What records of history do they hold? How accurate were they? Shawn will share the changes in the landscape and streetscape, where people lived, worked, and played as well as explore the areas that were highlights of Victorian-era Manchester, and what these places look like today.
Also offered online
Registration for this program is free; however, advance registration is appreciated. To register on the GMALL website click here.
The Mountain That Raised Me
Presented in collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning
Also offered online
Join Courtney Mutz Callo for an evening of reminiscing about her childhood living above the clouds atop Mt Equinox at the Skyline Inn. As the daughter of Peter and Maureen Mutz, who ran the Skyline Inn at the top of the Equinox Toll Road from 1965-1977, her “driveway” was 5.2 miles long and ascended 3,248 feet.
She will be joined by Manchester Historical Society Curator Shawn Harrington, who will share the history along with his childhood memories of adventures on the backside of the mountain with his family.
Registration for this program is free; however, advance registration is appreciated. To register on the GMALL website click here.
Victorian Era Picnic
We invite you to celebrate our 125th anniversary with an old-fashioned picnic in Dellwood Cemetery, Manchester’s own representative of the 19th-century landscaped cemetery. Bring a basket and a blanket or chairs. Refreshing drinks will be provided as well as some contemporary sweets.
For more information email us at info@manchesterhistoricalssocietyvt.org or call 802-549-4582.
Manchester History Day
Join us for a celebration of our 125th anniversary. Learn about Manchester’s history and enjoy games, food, cotton candy, and penny candy. View historic artifacts and hear stories from long ago.
Vermont Trivia Night
Come join us for the first of our 125th anniversary year celebrations, our very own Vermont History Trivia Night. Please email us to register your team and four members at info@manchesterhistoricalsocietyvt.org.
“Travel and Sleep in Safety and Comfort”: The Story of the Pullman Company
In 1867 George Pullman hit on an idea that would revolutionize train travel across the world. Railroads were the economic engine of the country by the second half of the 19th century, but accommodations were not particularly comfortable for passengers. Pullman founded his company to produce and operate luxuriously appointed railroad cars and it grew into a worldwide sensation. At its peak, the Pullman Company ran the largest hotel in the world, with every guest waking up in a different city than where they went to sleep. Join railroad historian Bill Badger for a fascinating look at the history of this great American company and learn some surprising connections.
Architect and train lover Bill Badger has been studying, writing about, and lecturing on the history of America’s railroads for over 30 years. He also is working on a model railroad based on the Bennington and Rutland subdivision of the Rutland Railroad in his home.
This program is presented in collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. Click here for ticket information.
Worthy of a Destination
A Virtual Event with Curator Shawn Harrington and Bill Badger in Collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. To register go to https://www.greenmtnacademy.org/events/worthy-of-a-destination/
Manchester’s promotion as a destination resort for visitors from crowded metropolitan areas began in earnest in 1853 when Franklin Orvis opened the Equinox House, adjacent to Vanderlip’s Hotel in the Village. After Orvis purchased Vanderlip's in 1880, the combined buildings became the largest hotel in the area. The summer colony of annual visitors was well established by the late Victorian era and this would continue into the 20th century with the opening of several other boarding houses and hotels that catered to tourists. The next large hotel to open was Orchard Park in 1907, which later became the Worthy Inn, the first hotel in the Village to remain open during the winter, accommodating a new class of visitors: skiers. MHS Curator Shawn Harrington and Board member Bill Badger will look back on the development of these two iconic properties, why they were popular, and the marketing efforts they made to attract visitors.
The Stone Gardens of Manchester
A Virtual Event with Curator Shawn Harrington in Collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. To register go to https://www.greenmtnacademy.org/events/the-stone-gardens-of-manchester/
The foundation of our shared history is set into the marble and granite markers within Manchester’s burying grounds. Though many individuals from our past are remembered in stories passed down through the generations, through the written word, photos, artifacts, and recordings, for some the only trace they were here are dates on a stone. Join Manchester Historical Society Curator Shawn Harrington as he remembers some of the people and their stories memorialized in Dellwood Cemetery, Factory Point Cemetery, and smaller family cemeteries in Manchester.
Virtual Walking Tour: Main Street, Manchester Center
A Virtual Event with Curator Shawn Harrington and Bill Badger in Collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. To register go to https://greenmtnacademy.org/program-list/15/history
Along the west branch of the Battenkill River stretches Main Street in Manchester Center, a picturesque New England downtown with parks, restaurants, and our famous bookstore. In the Factory Point era, it was an industrial center, producing woolen blankets for Union soldiers and leather goods from the tannery, with teamsters hauling blocks of marble from the quarries on Mt. Aeolus… and a vampire tale!
Virtual Walking Tour: Manchester Village
A Virtual Event with Curator Shawn Harrington and Bill Badger in Collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. To register go to https://greenmtnacademy.org/program-list/15/history
The 1961 Bicentennial marker at the foot of the Soldier’s Memorial in the Village reads: "This historic crossroads born of liberty and nurtured by the freedom loving hub for wayfarers. Host to generations. This pleasant land among the mountains." The origins of Manchester Village date to before America was a nation. Explore 260 years of changes in its streetscape with Bill Badger and MHS curator Shawn Harrington through the history, stories, and photos from the days of the American Revolution to its heyday as a summer colony and learn about community members who shaped Manchester into the New England four-season destination it is today.
The Norcross-West Marble Company
A Virtual Event with Curator Shawn Harrington and Bill Badger in Collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. To register go to https://greenmtnacademy.org/program-list/15/history
The Norcross-West Marble Company was formed by Orlando W. Norcross of Worcester, MA and Spafford H. West of Dorset, VT to provide the 500,000 cubic feet of pure white marble needed for the New York Public Library being built on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan. Operations began in 1901, with hundreds of thousands of dollars spent building the required infrastructure, with a state-of-the-art finishing mill at Manchester Depot and a railroad connecting to the quarrying operations in South Dorset. By 1934, the mill was gone and the rails torn up; today the swimming quarry along Route 30 remains the only visible reminder of this monumental undertaking.
“Dellwood Comes Alive” Is Back!
Due to popular demand, the Dellwood Cemetery Association and the Manchester Historical Society, together with the Dorset Players, will present an evening with a select number of the resident spirits of historic Dellwood Cemetery, Thursday July 15, 2021, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.
Come hear the stories of ten remarkable figures from Manchester's storied past and learn about their lives and passions. This is an outdoor event, so dress comfortably. Please enter through Dellwood’s southern entrance, next to the Hildene driveway, where you will be directed to park in the Pine Lawn section. Transportation will be provided back to your vehicle at the conclusion of the tour. Rain date is Friday, July 16. Free will donations appreciated.
For more information, please call MHS at 802.549.4582 or email info@manchesterhistoricalsocietyvt.org.
The Railroads of Manchester
A Virtual Event with Curator Shawn Harrington and railroad expert Bill Badger in Collaboration with Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. To register go to https://greenmtnacademy.org/program-list/15/history
Local historian G. Murray Campbell wrote in 1961: “There was a time when echoes of the whistles of three separate railroads could be heard in the daily life of Manchester.” First was the Western Vermont Railroad, later known as the Bennington & Rutland. The other two have long since become silent. The Manchester, Dorset & Granville (MD&G) ran five miles of railroad from Manchester Depot to the South Dorset quarries. The Rich Lumber Company, which felled large spruce stands up Lye Brook and around Bourne Pond and Bourne Brook from 1914 – 1919, operated a bustling logging railroad with 16 miles of standard gauge track. Material in the Manchester Historical Society archives has turned up a fourth rail operation. Although not a common carrier railroad, a Manchester lumber mill strung some wire and ran a small electric rail line on their property.
This Pleasant Land Among the Mountains: A History of Manchester, Vermont. A sampler of Manchester history from 1761-2021
A Zoom presentation by MHS Curator Shawn Harrington, in cooperation with the Bennington Historical Society and the Bennington Museum. To register go to https://benningtonmuseum.org/event/bhs2021may/
Become A Corporate Sponsor
You can ensure our community’s past and present stories are not lost. You can help us tell those stories.
The collective memories of our community are important to our present and future. The stories of those who lived here are markers in time that enrich our sense of togetherness and make this town unlike any other.
Local businesses have helped us rescue important works of local art, work with students in the local schools to help them understand their hometown, and share our collection’s treasures with people near and far on social media.