These reprints of selected articles and documents may interest local historians. Some have appeared in publications such as Manchester Life, the Journal Inquirer, the Reminder News, the Manchester Storytellers book (published by the Manchester Historical Society), the Cruisin' on Main tab, and in our own Courier newsletter.

• NOTE: Due to the large (and growing!) number of reprinted articles in the main section, we've grouped them into related categories. Please click one of the following links to help direct you more quickly to the article(s) that might interest you...

People Then & Now     Places Then & Now     Historic Businesses & Inventors     Other Local-History Topics

   In Addition . . .  

   . . . or Alternatively . . .  

   . . . and Finally . . .  

Note: Due to the size of many of these files, a high-speed connection is recommended, along with patience for the very large files, as they can take several minutes to appear.
• History of Manchester book  This large PDF file contains the 327-page 1924 book, "The History of Manchester, Connecticut," published in honor of Manchester's centennial year (1923). The file takes several moments to download. Written by Mathias Spiess and Percy Bidwell, the book was converted to an electronic file for research use by Dick Spiess, the grandson of one of the authors. The book is a definitive history of the town from pre-historic times to the "modern age" of 1923. As a research aid to the Spiess and Bidwell book, we offer this Index of Names, which was created in 1999 to help in finding people's names.

• Buckland Times Newsletters. Susan Way has given us permission to post these newsletters about the Buckland section of Manchester on our web site.

• Buckland Times Newsletters: Memories. Memories and reminiscences from readers of the Buckland Times reprints.

• Burr Nursery, 1968   Burr Nursery four-page reprint from the April 1968 "Connecticut Industry" magazine. While lacking concrete information such as where the business was located and number of employees, still the pictures and history make it interesting. Burr Nursery was in the North End of Manchester, and had "plantations" for growing trees in other towns in Connecticut.

• "Descent of the Founders of the Cheney Silk Industry" by Dorothy Cheney Dorothy Cheney, 7/12/1880 to 1/30/1971, wrote "Descent of the Founders of the Cheney Silk Industry," and privately published 150 copies in 1960. Dorothy also wrote "Memories, 1917-1919," about her experiences volunteering in hospitals in France during World War I. She and her twin sister, Marjory, were daughters of Frank Woodbridge Cheney and Mary Bushnell Cheney. The February 1, 1971 obituary in the New York Times says, "Miss Cheney was a trustee of the Connecticut Junior Republic and the Visiting Nurse Association of Manchester and an honorary member of the 16th Connecticut Volunteer Regiment (Civil War). In World War I she served with the American Red Cross in Beauvais, France." A March 30, 1916 article in The Hartford Courant notes that Dorothy Cheney was on the committee for an April 4 "tea and sale of fancy articles" at Tinker Hall, sponsoring an address by Emily Pierson, "under the auspices of the Equal Franchise League."

• Catalogue of the Engraved and Lithographed Work of John Cheney and Seth Cheney   This is on Google books, published in 1891. It includes listings of their works, names of their portrait subjects, and books with their illustrations. The original catalogue is at Harvard.

• Center Springs Park Landscape Architect Proposal   This 1929 proposal includes a map of the 50+ acre park in the center of Manchester.

• "Cheney Silks: A Glossary of Silk Terms"   This 57-page 1915 publication has been out of print for many years, but is available online and still offers a wealth of information about the silk business: the terminology of silk, a short history, its origin, culture and manufacture. Thanks to MCC's Chris Paulin for sending this.

• "Direct Current Incandescent Lighting"   This is a 48-page book published by the Mather Electric Company, describing the Mather incandescent electric lighting system. The actual publication date is uncertain but probably precedes 1893. It is profusely illustrated and provides a glimpse into the early days of electric lighting and power generation.

• "An Industrial Experiment in South Manchester"   An article about the Cheney silk manufacturing enterprise, published in the November 1872 Harper's magazine. It describes the manufacture of silk products in the Cheney mills, as well as the Cheneys' interest in workers' health, working conditions and housing, and the schools and entertainment opportunities they provided, in contrast to conditions found in other industrial enterprises of the era.
(Note: Harper's magazine began publishing in 1850 and continues to the present day. More about Harper's can be found in Wikipedia at Harper's Magazine.)

• W. H. Jones Memoir   William H. Jones (1812-1903) was born and grew up in the Buckland section of Manchester. The Manchester Herald published a summary of his memoir in 1912, with several sub-headings: "Pioneer Silk Manufacturer. Enterprises in Buckland and Manchester From Recollections at the Age of Eighty-nine -- Buckland in Stage Coach Days -- Helped Build North Congregational Church -- The Silk Worm Craze and Manufacture of Silk Thread -- Fortune Lost by War."

• Reminiscences of Ednah Dow Cheney (born Littlehale).   This book was written by Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney, who was the wife and biographer of Seth Cheney. Published in 1902, it contains portraits of Seth Wells and Margaret S. Cheney, as well as portraits of the author herself. This Google book was scanned from one in the library of Radcliffe College.

• Salvation Army History: South Manchester Corps History 1887-1937   A 15 page document document, with photos and notes, posted online by David Miller. In Manchester, the Corps encountered opposition, but pursued its mission of saving souls.

• "The Silk Industry in America"   A 71-page 1901 document, "The Silk Industry in America, as represented to the United States Industrial Commission," comprises testimony about the U.S. silk industry. Starting on page 726 (the reproduction begins at page number 667), you can read the interview with Frank Woodbridge Cheney, treasurer of Cheney Brothers. The original document is in the collection of the University of Michigan, and the online version is available at Google Books.

• "The Silk Industry of the World"   A 68-page 1904 booklet, "The Silk Industry of the World at the Opening of the Twentieth Century" by Franklin S. Allen, this was originally an article for the Encyclopedia Americana, and also printed as this booklet by The Silk Association of America for its members. The booklet describes the growth and industrialization of silk manufacture, with an emphasis on the modern practices of the time.

• Biography of Christopher Miner Spencer   Spencer's life is described in this reprint from the 1886 "Hollister Family of America" genealogy compiled by Lafayette Wallace Case, M.D. The original is at the Connecticut State Library. See also the Spencer reprints in the listing above, written by the late Richard Tambling.

• 1882 edition of the Manchester Herald   The July 1, 1882 edition of the Manchester Herald, a local newspaper published from 1881 until 1991. This copy is zoomable and contains, among other things, advertisements for Watkins Brothers furniture store and the schedule for the South Manchester railroad. Thanks to Historical Society member and volunteer David Beal for scanning this image and making it available.

• 1886 Manchester History from "The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884"   The history was edited by J. Hammond Trumbull, L.L.D., President of the Connecticut Historical Society, and contains drawings, facsimile signatures, and commentary. This 23-page portion of the full "Memorial History" may take a few moments to download on your computer, but is very worthwhile!

• "Memoir of Seth W. Cheney, Artist", by Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney   A long out-of-print memoir, now located online at Google Books.

• "Memoir of John Cheney, engraver", by Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney   Another long out-of-print memoir, also by Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney, and now also located online at Google Books.

• 1923 Centennial March   In 1923, Manchester went all out for its 100-year anniversary. Harold A. Turkington wrote this Centennial March, which was for sale at Kemp’s Music House for sixty cents.

• 1923 Manchester Centennial Booklet Part 1
• 1923 Manchester Centennial Booklet Part 2
• 1923 Manchester Centennial Booklet Part 3   A booklet printed in 1923 for Manchester's centennial, the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as a town. This 124-page publication contains the program of activities for the week-long celebration, photos of schools and churches, and advertisements for local businesses. Due to its size, the booklet is divided into three parts, and still may take some time to load on your computer. Some notes have been added, of commentary and correction. Thank you to the Case-Jacobson family for donating this vintage booklet to the Historical Society, and to Town Clerk Joe Camposeo for providing a photocopied version which expedited the scanning process.

• 1963 Manchester Schools   List of Manchester schools and principals from a 1963-1964 Jaycees booklet, "Town Guide, Manchester, Connecticut."