About the Manchester Historical Society
The Historical Society... Our beginnings
 In 1965, a small group of dedicated citizens incorporated the
Manchester Historical Society. Their original purpose was to
save the historic Timothy Cheney house on East Center
Street from destruction. They dedicated themselves to implementing
the resolutions of incorporation: to preserve
"irreplaceable historic Manchester landmarks and act as a
watchdog group" to save valued antiquities.
Now, over thirty-five years later, we can point to the progress
that has been made. The Society manages three museums: The Cheney
Homestead at 106 Hartford Road, given to our society through a gracious
bequest of the Cheney family in 1969; The Old Manchester Museum at
126 Cedar Street, the result of a restoration of the town-owned Cheney
School building by a handy group of volunteers who donated many hours
of labor performing carpentry, plumbing, lighting and heating work,
painting and carpeting. The museum opened in 1985 and has three floors
of collections.
What we do. . .
Volunteers. Our volunteers accession newly donated items, act as curators for individual collections, review
exhibits, give museum tours, and help visitors with genealogy investigations.
Tours. In addition to tours for school children,
we co-sponsor walking tours of the Cheney Mills area with the Manchester Community College,
which end with a visit to the Old Manchester Museum. We work with the town on "Heritage Day"
tours and have conducted walking tours at Highland Park, Union Village (the North End),
and the grounds of the Cheney Homestead.
Programs. The Historical Society holds
regular program meetings on a variety of topics. Some of our past
programs have dealt with Fascinating Fashions, Shaker
Village, The South Manchester Railroad, grave stones,
colonial days, quilts, Pitkin glass, the Firemen's Museum, New England Stone Walls, Apel's Opera House,
and Growing Tobacco in Manchester.
House Markers. For houses more than 50
years old, homeowners can research the age of their homes through
municipal or other records, and submit them with a fee for a plaque
noting the year the house was built. The plaque is suitable for mounting
on the exterior of the house.
Advisory. The Historical Society acts as advisor to the
Cheney Historic District Commission and the town
respectively in cases affecting the preservation or
demolition of older buildings.
Publications. Our newsletter The
Courier, published quarterly, includes Society news and unusual
or amusing items of interest from the past. The Historical Society
has also published four soft-bound books: "Old Manchester. .
. A Picture Book," debuted in 1994 with more than 400 photos
from Manchester's past which has sold over 3,000 copies. "Old
Manchester II. . . The Storytellers," published in 1995, is a
collection of anecdotes and stories about pranks and everyday life
in Manchester from over 80 writers. More than 1,000 present and former
residents are mentioned in this 272-page volume. In 1996 we were proud
to publish "Silk & Guns: The Life of a Connecticut Yankee:
Frank Cheney (1817-1904)", written by his great-granddaughter,
Alice Farley Williams. This 203-page book contains 25 illustrations,
275 names and places from Manchester's past, as well as new insights
into the Cheney family, their affectionate regard for Manchester,
and their impact on Manchester's human history. "Old Manchester
III...Manchester Green" was published in 1997 and contains over
175 pictures and maps covering the eastern part of Manchester, affectionately
referred to as "The Green."
In 1999, we published the booklet East Cemetery Historical Walking
Tour, which describes the interesting gravestones and stories in the
old part of East Cemetery.
Links
The Cheney Homestead
The Old Manchester Museum
Lutz Museum
Keeney Schoolhouse
Cheney Hall
Connecticut
Firemen's Historical Society Museum
Pitkin Glass Works
Manchester Hall of Fame
Manchester Message Board
It's All In Manchester!
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