1. Washington School

This elementary school opened on April 12, 1915, and it was a great relief to the school system, after coping with the fire that destroyed the entire Ninth District School (the site of today's Bennet Academy) in October, 1913. More about the school fire can be found at the Elisabeth Bennet:Fire web site. Fortunately, no one was hurt in that fire, but the aftermath required double sessions and many temporary arangements.

The Washington School cost $62,235.56 to build, and served the children of many Cheney silk mill workers.

2. Old Manchester Museum


Click here to access the Old Manchester Museum web page: Old Manchester Museum.

3. Manchester Sports Hall of Fame


Click here to access the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame web page: Manchester Sports Hall of Fame

4. Bath House
The Cheney Brothers built the Pleasant Street bathhouse in 1913, to replace one on Cooper Hill Street that had opened in 1900 but which was now in the way of the new Dye House which was scheduled to be built in 1914. The Cheneys also provided bathing facilities in the “Old Mill” on Hartford Road and at other locations for their employees.

The public bath house was open on weekdays at noontime and most evenings; it was also open on both Saturday and Sunday. Baths and soap were free, and towels could be rented or bought at a price lower than the going rate. Baths were also available at the Ninth District School; and at the “Rec” Centers – east side at Educational Square (now Bennet Academy), and west side near Washington School on Cedar Street. Even people with running water at home frequented the baths, because they appreciated the free hot water ... especially in summer, when homeowners didn’t have a fire going.

5. Ribbon Mill

The Ribbon Mill was built in two phases in 1907-1909. A turbine engine was installed in the Engine Room to provide power to the Ribbon Mill. It was the first turbine engine in Manchester. The building has 100,000 square feet. Beginning in 1936, Manchester Modes, a local firm that made ladies’ fashions, rented and later bought this mill. The Ellis family owned Manchester Modes as well as textile operations in New Britain. Today it serves as apartments.

6. Velvet Weave Shed

The Velvet Weave Shed was built in 1914 and connects via walkway to the Velvet Mill across the street. Today the Velvet Weave Shed serves as a parking area for cars of the tenants in the apartments.

7. Dye House
This “new” Dye House was built in 1914, and the dyeing operation, formerly located in a building south of Hartford Road, was moved here. The Dye House wasn’t part of the project to convert mills to apartments in the 1980s, but in 2009 a construction company undertook the work of making this into residential apartments.

To view images of what went on in here, from the "Cheney Silk" Image Collection, click any of these icons:

8. Yarn Mill
The Yarn Mill was built in 1911. By that time, Cheney Brothers had closed their mills in Hartford, CT, (1909) and work was brought to Manchester. This was a boon to Manchester, as it provided even more jobs. After Cheney Brothers closed, the Yarn Mill was used for many other enterprises, including King’s Department Store (a large discount store), and small businesses such as craftsmen, furniture repairers, etc. Today this mill serves as apartments.
To see a full-sized picture of this building when in operation, please click this icon:

9. Cheney Fire Station


Click here to access the Cheney Fire Station web page: Cheney Fire Station

10. Rogers Paper Mill (this building const. 1910)

Peter Rogers founded the Rogers Paper Manufacturing Company in 1832, and it grew, expanding to include mills on Hartford Road, Charter Oak Street, and eventually on Mill Street in the North End. The mills made press-board and other specialties and employed many workers. This building on the corner of Prospect Street and Hartford Road is now in use for office space. In the 1950s, it housed a Honda motorcycle business.

11. Silk Vaults

The Silk Vaults were built in 1919 along the Cheney Railroad. There had been an attempted silk heist in 1919, and William Madden, the security supervisor at Cheney Brothers, was murdered. It was determined that a gang of silk thieves from New Jersey had perpetrated the plot. Today, the Silk Vaults have become a self-storage facility.

12. History Center / Machine Shop


Click here to access the History Center web page: History Center / Machine Shop

13. Velvet Mill
The Velvet Mill, with its grassy courtyards, was built in 1901, and has entrances on both Pine and Elm Streets. The Cheney recruitment brochures refer to park-like grounds, and certainly compared to Lawrence and Lowell, Massachusetts, mills, this work area would have been far more pleasant. The stone used in this building came from the defunct Union Mills in the North End that Cheney Brothers bought. The velvet operation continued to prosper even after the silk mills’ decline. This building today serves as apartments.

14. Finishing & Printing

The Finishing & Printing plant was built in 1946, but has not enjoyed a renaissance as have many of the other former Cheney mill buildings in the District. It has been proposed as the site of a new library for the town, but that hasn’t happened.

15. CheneyHall


Click here to access the Cheney Hall web page: Cheney Hall

16. Cheney Residence • Mommers
This handsome colonial-revival style house, built about 1888, was the home of Richard Mommers, a designer and manufacturer of velvet-weaving looms. Cheney Brothers purchased looms from his firm in Germany in 1880, and stipulated that he accompany them to Manchester to supervise the installation. When this task was complete, Cheneys offered him the position of Superintendent of the Manufacture of Velvet, a position he held until his death in 1926 at the age of 80.

The building has been remodeled and added on to several times in a process of adaptive reuse, which preserves older buildings while meeting current needs.

17. Warehouse (const. 1910)

This huge concrete building formerly housed the Cheney dyeing and finishing mill, an operation that moved to a building on the north side of Hartford Road as the silk business continued to expand.

18. Weaving Mill

The Weaving Mill was built in 1886-1887, near the Cheney Railroad. A November 19, 1886 Hartford Courant article says, “The silk business was never more flourishing than now, and the mills are run to their full capacity.” The weaving mill now serves as apartments.

To view images of what went on in here, from the "Cheney Silk" Image Collection, click any of these icons:

19. Spinning Mill or "Clock Tower Mill"
This 1872 mill complex is huge, facing Elm Street and extending a long way up Forest Street. Its famous clock tower is at the southwest corner of the mill and it has green lawn and trees around it. In 1935, when this mill was empty due to the Depression and other economic factors, Cheney Brothers developed plans to raze it because of the $7,000 annual tax on just this one building. Fortunately, the Town Selectmen responded with a plan to reduce the taxes. In 1938, Pioneer Parachute got its start in this mill. Today it serves as apartments.

To view images of what went on in here, from the "Cheney Silk" Image Collection, click any of these icons:

20. Garage Mill (const. 1870)
The brick building on the right formerly held the folding and inspection rooms, where cloth was folded and packaged for shipping. The Cheney Railroad ran along the west (right) side of this building, and there was a loading dock for shipments to be picked up. Today, this building is part of the Fuss & O'Neill office complex, the main office building of which is to the left.

21. Cheney Office Building • Fuss & O'Neill
Cheney Office Building, 146 Hartford Road, constructed in 1910, replaced previous office space. New employees would come to this building to complete paperwork before starting their jobs. A long sidewalk, not visible on the map, curves down the hill from the mansions on the Great Lawn to the mills and the Office Building. Unlike mill operations in some other New England towns, the mills and their owners were in close proximity.

After the demise of Cheney Brothers silk operations, this building housed at different times the electric company; Manchester Community College; and today, the engineering firm of Fuss & O’Neill, which maintains a gallery of vintage Cheney mill photos on the first floor of the building. Fuss & O’Neill has invited the Historical Society to visit their building when we lead history walks in the District.

22. "The Old Mill"


The 1890 brick building at 130 Hartford Road was called the Old Mill, and served as a training facility for Cheney workers. Today, it has medical offices.

23. The Great Lawn
The broad sweep of the Great Lawn looks much the same as during the heyday of the Cheney silk business (about 1860 to 1930). The Cheney family opened the lawn to the public, who came to pick dandelions for cooked greens; to find worms for use as fish-bait; and in winter to ski, sled, and toboggan. Beginning in 1942, the mansions on the Great Lawn were sold to non-Cheney families; and today none are owned by either the Cheneys or their descendents.

Over the years there have been proposals to build condominiums on the lawn, which the Historical Society has opposed.

The Town of Manchester purchased nine acres of the lawn (the portion with the largest frontage on Hartford Road) in 2005 for open space to preserve this historic area. The rest of the Great Lawn is owned by the mansion owners. The Historical Society leads walks in this area, but stays on town-owned property unless invited by home-owners to come visit.

To see a full-sized picture of the Great Lawn, circa 1900, please click this icon:

24. Keeney Schoolhouse


Click here to access the Keeney Schoolhouse web page: Keeney Schoolhouse

25. Cheney Homestead


Click here to access the Cheney Homestead web page: Cheney Homestead

26. Frank & Susan Cheney Mansion
This three-story mansard-roofed brick house was designed by Hammatt Billings, who was also the architect of Cheney Hall. The mansion was built about 1866 for Frank and Susan Cheney, parents of philanthropist Mary Cheney (1855-1934) who lived there until her death. Mary Cheney kept a large garden as if it were a public park, open to all who wished to visit. Miss Mary’s garden was designed by Charles Adams Platt, noted artist and architect, and was maintained by a staff of gardeners.

To see full-sized pictures of the garden, click on either of these icons:

27. Frank Cheney, Jr. Mansion
At 20 Hartford Road, the Frank Cheney, Jr. Mansion, is now converted to office space, including the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. Built in 1901 with a third floor added in 1921, it is one of five mansions in the Great Lawn area that were designed or remodeled by Charles Adams Platt. Both this and the house next door (the Frank and Susan Cheney Mansion ) are owned by the South United Methodist Church.

28. South United Methodist Church (const. 1924)

This English Country style stone church was dedicated in 1924. A history of this church can be found at the church's web site.

29. Bennet Academy
The former Educational Square, built in 1915, is named for Principal Elisabeth Bennet. At one time the complex included a technical school, and at another time it was a junior high school.

It has recently been renovated as a sixth-grade academy, but there were proposals to abandon or demolish the school complex, rather than preserve it for the students of Manchester.

To see a full-sized picture of the reconstruction, please click this icon:

* R. Cheney Railroad *
The South Manchester Railroad (SMRR) was built by Cheney brothers in 1869. According to "Silk Along Steel," Thomas Lewis's history of the railroad, this was the largest privately-owned passenger and freight railroad in the country. It was also one of the shortest passenger lines, providing service to Cheney workers and families similar to that provided by trolleys of the period. The railroad's passenger service ended in 1933, but freight still rolled along the rails up into the 1980s.

To see additional images of the Cheney Railroad, click on any of these icons:

* W. Workers Housing areas *
The large W's on the map indicate some of the housing that Cheneys built for their workers. Houses were built from the 1860s (Eldridge Street) through the early part of the twentieth century (Fairfield Road). A mill foreman or manager might have a single-family house, whereas mill hands might live in a two-, three-, or four-family house. Newest immigrants might start out staying at a boarding house, or boarding with a family. As the workers prospered, they might move into a house and later buy the house. Other mills in Manchester provided worker housing, but the Cheney houses had larger yards and more amenities than those built near Union Mills and Globe Mills.

When the Cheney mills fell upon hard times, an auction was held (in 1937) to sell off the worker housing. Many tenants bought the houses that they lived in.

In the 1970s, Cheney worker housing was a factor in attaining the National Landmark Historic District designation, which recognized the large and intact District, including mills, mansions, and worker housing.



* Charles Adams Platt *
Noted architect and artist Charles Adams Platt (1861-1933) was the grandson of George Wells Cheney (1799-1840), brother of the founders of the silk mills. His work in Connecticut includes the Rockville Public Library, and the mansion that became Rockville General Hospital, as well as new construction and renovations of Cheney mansions and gardens along Hartford Road. Additional information on Mr. Platt can be found on this Columbia University web site.

Among the works of Mr. Platt in the Cheney Brothers National Historic Landmark District:

• 151 Hartford Road (the light gray house closest to Cheney Hall) was built in 1905 for John Davenport Cheney. At 4,000 square feet, it is one of the smallest mansions.

• 139 Hartford Road – “Mansion Inn” bed and breakfast – Platt designed the 1910 addition. The house started out as a cottage in 1840 and was expanded and remodeled over the years. Among the Cheneys who lived here was Lovisa Rich, a cousin who came at the age of twelve to help Electa Woodbridge Cheney care for her family.

• 50 Forest Street – the brick Italian-Renaissance-Revival-style Philip Cheney mansion, the extensive renovation of which was designed in the 1920s by Platt. He designed the garden and the interior décor, selecting the furniture and wall coverings. Family tradition says that this house, formerly the Knight Dexter (K.D.) Cheney house, didn’t suit Philip Cheney’s bride, Helen, and that the only part that remains of the previous (1878) structure is the living room. This is one of the largest extant mansions.

• The 1904 pink stucco Clifford Cheney Mansion, to the right of the Philip Cheney mansion, is also a Charles Adams Platt design.

• 20 Hartford Road – Frank Cheney, Jr. Mansion, now converted to office space. Built in 1901 with a third floor added in 1921, it is one of five mansions along Hartford Road or Forest Street designed or extensively remodeled by Charles Adams Platt.

• (No longer in existence) Mary Cheney’s large garden – kept as if it were a public park, it was designed by Charles Adams Platt, and maintained by a staff of gardeners.
To see a full-sized picture of the garden, please click the icon: