Manchester Community Business Expo Coming Thursday, June 5
The Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce is holding its seventh annual Community Business Expo on Thursday, June 5, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM along Adrian Street in downtown Manchester. The Expo is held in conjunction with the weekly Thursday Farmers Market. A number of local businesses, non-profit community service organizations, and school organizations will have […]
Why is Our Village Named “Manchester”? Part Two of Two
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Other Published Records on the Naming of Manchester Question 3 above caused the authors to search a wide variety of published material that mentioned how Manchester received its name. The findings are listed below, noting the sources used to support each author’s claim when available. It became clear […]
Why is our Village Named “Manchester”? Part One of Two
by Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Authors note: The authors have dedicated significant time to determining and documenting the “true” history of the Village of Manchester, beginning with older published materials and then using modern research tools to locate original source documents and other resources which were not conveniently available to earlier researchers. This research […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part Five of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer 20th Century Changes on the Corner of Main Street A set of nine buildings once existed on the corner, offering medical services, furniture, farm implements, pianos and organs, meat, blacksmithing, woolen products, coal and all manner of 19th century necessities and luxuries. Changes in products and services needed by […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part Four of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer The Barn and Office Building on Ann Arbor Street On August 31, 1899, the Manchester Enterprise reported: “The frame for the Wurster Bros & Co.’s barn on Ann Arbor street [sic], is being raised this afternoon.” This is the first reference to the dilapidated yellow barn which existed at […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part Three of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer The Panic of 1873 The economic boom that followed the Civil War was particularly evident in an increase in railroad construction throughout the country. This reality was played out in Manchester in the form of a second railroad in 1870, thought to be essential to the continued growth and […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part Two of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer The Post-Civil War Economic Boom The demand for food, other commodities and manufactured goods during the Civil War had benefited Manchester’s merchants and farmers as never before. With the end of the war in April 1865, village leaders looked for means to assure that the economic boom continued. One […]
Life on a Manchester Corner: a Complete History of the Intersection of M-52 and Main Street (Part One of Five)
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Introduction On February 6, 2014, the Village of Manchester hosted a public meeting seeking citizen input on the proposed River Raisin Recreation Master Plan, a long-term program to improve access to and recreational usage of the River Raisin within Manchester Village. Approximately 30 attendees viewed various options for improving […]
Fire, Smut and Disease in Manchester, Part Four of Four
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Smut and Meningitis in Manchester The removal and accumulation of smut from grains in the mills created more than a fire risk. As recommended by the insurance manuals, small custom mills such as Manchester’s began routinely discharging concentrated smut and other accumulated by-products directly into the air, often from […]
Fire, Smut and Disease in Manchester, Part Three of Four
By Ray Berg and Alan Dyer Smut Machines It was determined that the May 1, 1853 Manchester Mill fire which destroyed the mill and a large part of Manchester’s downtown was caused by a custom smut machine on the third floor of the mill. “Smut” is defined as any of the various destructive diseases affecting […]
