Manchester and the Underground Railroad: The near-capture of John Felix White on Watkins Farm
by Carol E. Mull, excerpts from the Network To Freedom program application, reprinted with her permission and the permission of Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation who originally published it on their website The Watkins Farm, located [between Manchester and Brooklyn], Michigan, was the property of early settler Royal Watkins (1788-1876), who was involved in the […]
Manchester's own Houserocker
Editor's note: An article by Mirror staff writer Marsha Chartrand first appeared in the June 25, 1998 Manchester Enterprise, where it was titled, "Still doing what he does best." The Mirror is re-publishing it in an adapted form, with some more current references. To Manchester, the name Cub Koda may be a voice from the past. […]
Looking Back... The 1982 Chicken Broil
Manchester photographer Gerald Grossman collected these on-the-ground snaps of the 29th Annual Chicken Broil in Manchester.
Early history of the Grocery Store
With the closing of the Manchester Market comes the end to a store with roots 100 years old and origins on the corner of M-52 and Main Street. Here is an excerpt from part 5 of a much longer article on the history of the intersection of M-52 and Main Street called “Life on a […]
Manchester Sesquicentennial Recap--Part 3
by Ray Berg The Sesquicentennial events through mid-Saturday August 5, were summarized in Parts 1 and 2 of this series. This week, we finish with a summary of activities on the rest of Saturday through the closing ceremony on Monday August 7. Historic Home Tours – Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6 As part of […]
150 years ago this week...
This year, 2017, marks the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Manchester as a village. A significant change also took place 150 years ago this week that affected the course of the University of Michigan, helping to shape it into the institution that effects many of our lives daily. Although we are 30 minutes away […]
Memorial Day in Manchester in the 20s & 30s
The newest issue of the Trumpeter, Manchester Area Senior Citizen's Council's newsletter, features two memories of Memorial Day in Manchester in the past. Both were originally run in the Trumpeter in the spring of 1986. Thank you to the Manchester Area Senior Citizen's Council for allowing us to reprint them. “MEMORIAL DAY IN THE 1920s" […]
Historical Society Aims to "Preserve the Corner" with Plans for the Old Funeral Home
About a year ago, in September 2014, the Manchester Area Historical Society set out on a mission. At that time, they never dreamed where they would end up! The Historical Society board of directors realized that they were outgrowing the current Blacksmith Shop, which has been its headquarters for more than 20 years. Board trustee Ray Berg […]
Manchester’s Streetscape – 1870 (Part 2 of 2)
Editor's Note: This is part 2 of a 2 part article. Click HERE to read part 1. In Part 1 of this article, we looked at the post-Civil War boom which led to rapid expansion of downtown Manchester, leading to the historic Italianate buildings we still have today. We also looked at the role of Jeremiah […]
Manchester’s Streetscape – 1870 (Part 1 of 2)
As this article is published in July 2015, the Village of Manchester is preparing for a complete replacement of its Main Street Bridge, a project several years in planning. The previous history of the bridge was reported in a set of earlier articles in The Manchester Mirror. The new bridge design replicates some historic elements […]
