Community Business Expo Scheduled for June 4th at Chi-Bro Park
The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce is holding its eighth annual Community Business Expo on Thursday, June 4, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm in Chi-Bro Park, in conjunction with the weekly Thursday Farmers Market. A number of local businesses, non-profit community service organizations, and school organizations will be present in booths to present what they have to […]
Second Community Tourism Workshop
The Manchester Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will host a second community workshop related to ongoing projects which boost tourism in the Manchester area. This workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 5, beginning at 11:00 am in the Village Room, Manchester Village Offices. Everyone is invited to attend. The workshop will be led by Don Anderson […]
Manchester and.….Lexington?
By Ray Berg In late 2014, the Village of Manchester acquired by tax foreclosure default a small land parcel on the eastern end of the village limits, east of the mill pond across from the Village Hall. This landlocked parcel, with no road access and apparently of no interest to tax sale auction bidders, carries […]
The History of the Pleasant Lake Inn
By Ray Berg On Sunday, February 8, 2015, the Pleasant Lake Inn in Freedom Township was severely damaged by a fire of unknown cause. The fire totally consumed the bar/restaurant area of the structure on the east side, which was a converted dancehall built in 1920 downhill on the site, and then relocated, modified and […]
Manchester Retail Study Available for Viewing
In December, the Manchester Downtown Development Authority completed a Retail Market Analysis for the village, prepared by the Gibbs Planning Group. This study demonstrated the potential for significant additions to the current retail market within the Village, and the potential for growth if we can capture some of the retail spending “leakage” now going to […]
Comings and Goings at the Manchester Hotel (Part 3 of 3)
By Ray Berg This Part 3 concludes our history of the Manchester Hotel. Changing Times By the 1890s, the general tenants of the Goodyear House were more likely regular boarders than transient visitors, as the concept of “apartments” took hold in America. Some signs of gradual deterioration were beginning to show. In January 1892, the […]
Comings and Goings at the Manchester Hotel (Part 1 of 3)
By Ray Berg In this three-part article, we examine the history of a prominent early Manchester business, the Manchester Hotel, also known at times as the Manchester House, the Goodyear House and the Freeman House. This multi-story and multi-business building sat on the northeast corner of Main and Clinton Streets from the mid-1830s through 1938, […]
Manchester Wellness Coalition Seeks Community Input
The Manchester Wellness Coalition, a group of local volunteers working with the Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation (CWF), is developing its Year 4 plan of community programs and infrastructure to improve the health and wellness of Manchester-area residents. We are looking for your input on what the community could use and should plan for in our wellness […]
New Logo, Sign, Website & Brochures in Manchester’s Future
The Manchester Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been busy in 2014, working on several projects aimed at actively promoting tourism in Manchester. A special presentation on these activities will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 at the Manchester District Library. The first project involved developing a visually appealing and unique logo for Manchester. A DDA committee worked with […]
Early Manchester Photographers – Part 4 of 4
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer In the previous three articles of this series, we have presented histories of some early Manchester photographers from 1860 – 1890, before the advent of the Kodak camera made personal photography feasible. So far, we examined the Manchester careers of Susan Speechly, Samuel Davis, Harriet Osborn, Henry Bissel and […]
